Super Typhoon Nuri became one of the most powerful tropical cyclones of 2014 Sunday as it churned over the open waters of the western Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Japan. It's still churning over those same waters, far from major land masses, but it has finally come down a bit from its peak.
Nuri began as a tropical depression on Oct. 31 and quickly became a tropical storm. It reached typhoon status the following day and then underwent a period of very rapid intensification.