This image shows the ocean surface wind speed of Typhoon Hagibis derived from the Sentinel-1 radar measurements. The high resolution of Sentinel-1 provides an unprecedented detailed insight of the cyclone inner core structure, in particular the eye’s diameter, the radius of maximum winds and the maximum wind speed.
In the case of Typhoon Hagibis, on 8 October the Sentinel-1 satellite measured the eye’s diameter at the sea surface as 20 km, the radius of maximum wind speed was 25 km and the maximum wind speed was greater than 60 m/s.
The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is the only sensor able to characterise extreme winds (greater than 70 m/s) at a very high resolution. Such measurements can complement existing data and help to issue more accurate analysis of tropical cyclones, particularly their ocean surface wind direction and intensity, and therefore open possibilities in improving hurricane forecasting.
Read more: Tracking Typhoon Hagibis from space