Tropical Storm In-fa Quickly Weakening in the Open Western Pacific

Jon Erdman
Published: November 24,2015

In-fa has weakened to a tropical storm in the western Pacific Ocean and may affect Iwo Jima later this week.
Here are the latest statistics, forecast path and satellite imagery on In-fa.

• Location: At 0300 GMT Wednesday, the center of Tropical Storm In-fa was about 470 nautical miles southwest of Iwo Jima (Io Tō).
• Movement: Generally toward the northeast. In-fa is rounding the western edge of the subtropical ridge of high pressure and becoming caught up in the jet stream, bending it sharply northeast, away from Taiwan and mainland Japan this week. In-fa could bring some rain and wind impacts as it moves near Iwo Jima as a tropical storm or tropical depression Wednesday into Thursday. Iwo Jima has a Japanese military presence, but no permanent population. The populated Ogasawara Islands of Japan could also see some rain and wind impacts from In-fa during that time period.
• Intensity: Increasing wind shear in the week ahead should result in continued weakening trend as it speeds off to the northeast, whisked away by the jet stream.
• Guam impacts: In-fa's center tracked more than 150 miles south of Guam with its closest pass. Andersen Air Force Base reported a couple of wind gusts from 40 to 45 mph Saturday. Rainfall amounts from the outer rainbands were generally 1.5 to 2 inches at both Andersen AFB and Guam International Airport.
• Adding to the record: According to Colorado State University tropical expert, Phil Klotzbach, In-fa became the 24th tropical cyclone of at least Category 4 strength in the Northern Hemisphere this season, adding to the absolute pummeling of the previous record of 18 such storms in 1997 and 2004. In-fa has since weakened back to Category 2 intensity.

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Status, Forecast Maps

Latest Position, Intensity, Movement

Forecast Path, Intensity

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