The spiral bands of Typhoon Neoguri can be seen swirling northward across the South China Sea toward China's Hainan Island.
The season’s first tropical cyclone in the northwestern Pacific basin this year formed from an area of disturbed weather over the western Philippines.
The storm intensified to Category 2 force as it moved over the warm waters of the South China Sea on Tuesday.
Maximum sustained winds near the center of Typhoon Neoguri reached almost 100 mph (160 km/h) before cooler waters just south of Hainan Island caused the storm to begin weakening.
Neoguri was predicted to lash Hainan on Friday before moving on to drench the Chinese Mainland over the weekend.
Typhoon Neoguri: Track
Satellite Loop: University of Wisconsin
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