Songda formed as a tropical depression on May 20, 2011, and
strengthened into a tropical storm the same day. On May 24, the
storm strengthened into a typhoon. At 11:00 p.m. Manila time
(15:00 UTC) on May 24, 2011, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon
Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Songda was located about 500
nautical miles (900 kilometers) east-southeast of Manila,
Philippines. The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 65 knots
(120 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 80 knots (150
kilometers per hour). The Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this
natural-color image of Songda on May 24, 2011. Although the
storm does not show a clear eye, it bears the coiled shape
typical of powerful storms. Songda’s clouds pass over the
eastern Philippines (image lower left). A warning graphic issued
by the JTWC forecast Songda remaining strong as it followed a
roughly northward track along the Philippines. The storm had
traveled toward the west-northwest in the hours lea