NASA image shows Super Typhoon Ragasa barreling toward China with 177 mph winds

Super Typhoon Ragasa, with top winds of 177 miles per hour, is barreling toward southern China as a NASA image shows a 1,000-mile-wide mass of warm, moist air swirling around a central point. The Terra satellite image, captured at 01:40 UTC on September 23, 2025, comes as Ragasa has already roared through Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong, leaving streets flooded, trees toppled and buildings damaged. Officials said more than 20 people had died in the region and more than 150 were unaccounted for. China has begun wide-scale preparations, with authorities reporting evacuations of more than two million people in several cities.

Ragasa formed in the western Pacific on September 18, a few hundred miles east of the Philippines, before tracking west. After rapid intensification it reached Category 5, the most extreme on the scale, prompting warnings of catastrophic damage. In the Philippines, the storm killed at least two people and caused floods and landslides. In Taiwan, heavy rains caused the barrier lake in Hualien county to burst, killing 14 people; witnesses described the scene as a disaster movie. In Hong Kong, hurricane-force winds and heavy rain battered the city, closing schools and grounding flights.

As Ragasa moves toward China, authorities expect only a partial weakening as it nears land. Meteorologists say the storm is moving through a highly favorable environment with strong radial outflow, warm sea surface temperatures and low vertical wind shear. Guangdong province has evacuated more than 770,000 people, CCTV reported, and authorities warn that tens of millions in the region could be at risk as cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou brace for storm surge and flooding.

From a vantage point 250 miles above Earth, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim posted photos of the storm from the International Space Station and described the view as strikingly calm from space despite the danger on the ground. "From orbit, the view is breathtaking, but on the ground, this storm brings real danger and hardship," Kim said. "Thoughts are with everyone in its path, and with the first responders and communities preparing to weather it."

Tropical cyclones are rotating storms that begin over tropical oceans and can vary widely in size and intensity. They form only over warm waters near the equator, and their life cycles can span from less than a day to a month. They are the second-most dangerous natural hazard after earthquakes, and climate-related factors can influence their intensity. Some scientists say warmer oceans and wetter atmospheres—hallmarks of human-caused climate change—make tropical cyclones form more quickly, reach higher wind speeds, and produce more rainfall. They may also linger longer over a given area and drive higher storm surges when they make landfall, complicating evacuation and response efforts.

Officials and researchers point to the broader pattern of the Western Pacific typhoon season, which runs year-round but peaks in late summer and early autumn. By September 23, 19 named typhoons had formed in 2025, though only two had sustained Category 3 or higher strength. In that context, scientists say the Ragasa event underscores how climate change can intersect with natural variability to intensify extreme weather in the region.

As Ragasa tracks toward the coast, authorities are urging preparedness and clear communication with evacuees. The coming days will test the resilience of major urban centers in southern China and illustrate the ongoing challenges of living with powerful tropical cyclones in a warming world.