Typhoon Herb

Typhoon Herb roared across northern Taiwan resulting in the loss of many lives and damage to property due to high winds, flooding, and landslides. Researchers are using advanced computer models and high resolution radar data to study this complex and deadly storm system. This visualization shows a comparison between the observed and model data.On July 31, 1996 Typhoon Herb roared across Northern Taiwan resulting in the loss of many lives and damage to property due to high winds, flooding, and landslides. One of the locations receiving heavy damage was the WSR-88D radar facility located at the Northern tip of Taiwan, 30 KM east northeast of Taipei. The facility, operated by Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, collected reflectivity and velocity data as the Typhoon approached and was forced to shut down as the eye of the storm grew closer and the threat of water damage to the radar electronics increased. Eight hours after the facility shut down, high winds ripped the fiber glass panels from the radar instrumentation and flung them down the hillside. Doppler Radar analysis of the storm showed peak wind speeds of 82 m/s at the 1 km level. Below we show a comparison between observed data collected by the Radar installation before it was shut down and MM5 model data generated by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. One of the unique characteristics of Typhoon Herb is its elliptical shaped eye.