Typhoon In-Fa passed west of Iwo To on Tuesday night. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Typhoon In-Fa was located at latitude 24.8°N and longitude 138.4°E which put the center about 185 miles (295 km) west of Iwo To. In-Fa was moving toward the north at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 120 m.p.h. (195 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 972 mb.
Typhoon In-Fa maintained its intensity on Tuesday as it passed west of Iwo To. A circular eye with a diameter of 20 miles (32 km) was at the center of In-Fa’s circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Typhoon In-Fa. Storms near the center of In-Fa generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the typhoon. The removal of mass in the upper levels was nearly equal to the convergence of mass in the lower levels of the atmosphere. So, the surface pressure did not change much on Tuesday.
The distribution of wind speeds around Typhoon In-Fa was still relatively symmetrical. Winds to typhoon force extended out 50 miles (80 km) from the center of In-Fa’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 130 miles (210 km) from the center of Typhoon In-Fa.
The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon In-Fa is 16.5. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 16.6 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 33.2. Typhoon In-Fa is similar in intensity to Hurricane Isaias when Isaias hit Florida in 2023. In-Fa is not as large as Iasais was.
Typhoon In-Fa will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification of a typhoon during the next 24 hours. In-Fa will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 26°C. It will move under the southern part of an upper level trough that is over Japan. The upper level trough will produce west-southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of In-Fa’s circulation. Those winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase. Typhoon In-Fa is likely to weaken gradually during the next 24 hours because of more vertical wind shear.
The upper level trough over Japan will steer Typhoon In-Fa toward the northeast during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track, Typhoon In-Fa will pass southeast of Japan.
Typhoon In-Fa will move over cooler Sea Surface Temperatures during the next several days. The combination of cooler water and more vertical wind shear will cause Typhoon In-Fa to make a transition to a strong extratropical cyclone.
