Two storms filled one NASA satellite view of the Pacific on October 29, 2026. Near the Mariana Islands, Super Typhoon In-fa spun around a broad, clear eye. Far to the north, a long band of clouds curled toward Alaska as the remains of Typhoon Champi moved into the Bering Sea. NASA Earth Observatory released the image on November 3, along with a closer view of In-fa taken the next day. The pair of images shows how a storm can look near its peak and how much its shape can change as it moves into cooler parts of the Pacific. NASA Science
What made In-fa’s eye so striking, and how did a West Pacific typhoon bring rough weather to Alaska? The answers lie in how each storm was built and what fed it. In-fa still drew heat and moisture from warm seas. By the time Champi reached the Bering Sea, its remnants had merged with a storm system fed by the clash of warm and cold air. That shift matters on shore and at sea. It can spread strong winds over a wider area, so a place well away from the storm’s path can still face high surf, rough seas or snow. NASA Science
What Made Super Typhoon In-fa’s Eye So Rare?
In-fa stood out for its shape. When NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the storm on October 30, In-fa was just west of the Mariana Islands, with a large eye set inside a nearly round ring of clouds. Many typhoons have bands of rain that spiral far from the eye. In this view, those outer bands were much less distinct. Weather scientists call storms with that look annular, which means ring-shaped. One study cited by NASA put their share at about 4 in every 100 tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific. The eyes in that group were about 45 kilometres wide on average, compared with about 25 kilometres for other tropical cyclones. Those figures describe groups of storms. NASA’s report gives no exact width for In-fa’s eye. NASA Science
A clear eye can make a storm look calm at first glance. The key feature is the thick wall of clouds that wraps around it. Known as the eyewall, this ring is where a tropical cyclone’s strongest winds are usually found. Storms with the ring shape seen in In-fa also tend to hold their strength longer when they run into conditions that would weaken many other storms. For people in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, the local forecast is what puts that image in context. Check when winds are due to rise, how long rough seas may last and which parts of the coast face high surf. A sharp image of the eye helps explain the storm. The local forecast helps you decide what to do. NASA Science
How Typhoon Champi’s Remnants Brought Rough Weather to Alaska
Champi had already swept across a broad stretch of the West Pacific before it reached Alaska. NASA reported that its peak sustained winds came close to 300 kilometres per hour, or 185 miles per hour, while it was still a typhoon. The storm passed close enough to Taiwan and Guam to bring fierce winds and heavy rain, and parts of China and Japan also felt its effects. The storm that later moved into the Bering Sea worked in a different way. As Champi lost its tropical form, its remains joined a system fed by the gap in temperature between warm and cold air. NASA meteorologist Gary Partyka said a storm would likely have formed over the Bering Sea anyway. In his view, Champi’s remnants appear to have helped it gain strength. NASA Science
- Check the time on the forecast. In its October 30 outlook, the National Weather Service said the remnant low would move east from the southern Bering Sea toward the northern Gulf of Alaska. The office expected high surf and strong winds over the Bering to ease as the system weakened. If you come across that outlook while planning a trip, use it to see what forecasters expected at the time. Pull up a fresh forecast for the day you plan to leave. marine.weather.gov
- Look beyond the storm’s centre. Winds can spread over a much wider area when a typhoon changes form. For a trip by boat, check the wind and wave forecast for each stretch of the route, including the return leg. On land, check both ends of a route and any exposed passes in between. The Alaska outlook flagged strong winds through gaps in the Alaska Range, along with heavy snow in parts of the range. NASA Science
- Use the warning for your own area. A coastal town, an offshore vessel and a road crew may face quite different risks from the same storm. Look up the alert for the place you will be, then check its start and end times. If plans depend on a flight, ferry or port call, check with the operator before you set out and again if the forecast changes.
Super Typhoon In-fa and Ex-Typhoon Champi at a Glance
| What to compare | Super Typhoon In-fa | Ex-Typhoon Champi |
|---|---|---|
| Where NASA saw it on October 29 | Near the Mariana Islands | Moving toward Alaska through the Bering Sea |
| What the clouds looked like | A compact storm with a round core and a large eye | A broad, curved cloud band tied to a larger storm system |
| What fed the storm at that stage | Heat and moisture from warm sea water | The contrast between warm and cold air masses |
| What made it stand out | NASA’s October 30 close-up showed the ring shape of a rare type of tropical cyclone | Its remnants appear to have helped strengthen a storm in the Bering Sea |
| Which forecast to check | Local wind, rain, surf and sea forecasts for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands | Wind, wave and surf forecasts for the coast, plus road and snow alerts where needed |
Sources for the storm images, tracks and forecast details. NASA Science
How El Niño May Have Shaped the 2026 Pacific Typhoon Season
The West Pacific was busy well before In-fa and Champi made news. NASA traced that active stretch back to April, when Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck parts of Micronesia, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. In-fa was the fifth typhoon to affect the Marianas in 2026, NASA reported. Champi was the fourth former typhoon to enter Alaskan waters that year, according to University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist Rick Thoman, whom NASA cited. Three others came before it: Bang-Lang in August, Dujuan in September and Choi-wan in early October. Thoman counted three such storms in each of the autumns of 1997 and 2015, both years with very strong El Niño events. That gives some sense of how often storms of tropical origin can reach Alaska in an active year. NASA Science
El Niño starts with a rise in sea surface heat across parts of the Pacific near the equator. Those changes can shift where storms form and which way they turn. Some studies of the western North Pacific have found that during El Niño, more storms form farther east and then curve north. The pattern can vary with where the warmest water lies. Partyka pointed to the strong El Niño as a likely factor in the active 2026 season. The research helps explain why weather teams watch the wider Pacific for signs that storm tracks may shift. To judge the risk at a given port, island or stretch of coast, look at the track, size and timing of the storm itself. NASA Science
Trending FAQ
Did Super Typhoon In-fa hit Alaska?
Champi was the storm whose remnants reached Alaska. In-fa was near the Mariana Islands in NASA’s October 29 view and just west of the island chain when Terra took its close-up on October 30. The wide view shows the two systems at the same time, with thousands of kilometres of ocean between them. NASA Science
Can a former typhoon still bring winds as strong as a typhoon’s?
Yes. The term extratropical tells you that the storm has changed how it gets its energy. The National Weather Service says storms can keep winds of hurricane or tropical storm force after that shift. The winds can also spread over a larger area. Check where strong winds are forecast and how long they may last, even if the storm’s centre will pass well away from you. NASA Science
Does a large eye mean a typhoon has stronger winds?
Eye size is one clue to how a storm is built. Wind speed is a separate measure. In-fa’s large eye, round shape and less distinct outer rain bands together gave it the look of an annular storm. To gauge the threat at a specific site, check the forecast wind speed and gusts, then look at the expected rain and surf. Those hazards can vary widely from one part of an island to another. NASA Science
What should coastal businesses check before a storm reaches them?
Start with the forecast for each site and route you rely on. Note when winds, waves or surf are due to pick up, then check whether ports, ferry firms or freight carriers have changed their plans. If staff travel through an exposed pass or along a low coastal road, check that route on its own. When the main storm moves away, check the next forecast before work resumes. The sea and surf can stay rough while winds ease. marine.weather.gov
Where can readers see the NASA storm images?
NASA Earth Observatory offers both images for download. Start with the October 29 view to see In-fa near the Marianas and the broad cloud band that stretched toward Alaska. Then open the October 30 close-up to see the nearly round ring around In-fa’s eye. Check the date and caption if you share either image. Each shows a different view of the Pacific on a different day. NASA Science