TRMM News

The TRMM satellite had a very good view of forming tropical storm Chantal, east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles, on July 8, 0155 UTC. TRMM Microwave (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) rainfall data are shown overlaid on an enhanced infrared image from the Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS). This analysis shows that the most intense rain was falling at a rate of over 115.5 mm/hr (~4.5 inches) near Chantal's center of circulation. This simulated 3-D view, looking from the west, uses TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument to show the very powerful storms near Chantal's center of circulation

The TRMM satellite had a perfect view of hurricane Cosme when it was close to peak intensity. TRMM passed directly over head on June 25, at 2157 UTC (2:27 PM PDT). At that time hurricane Cosme was estimated to have winds of over 70kts (~80.5 mph). TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) saw very heavy rainfall in powerful storms on the southwest side of Cosme's eye. TRMM's 3-D Precipitation Radar (PR) data shows that Cosme had a ragged eye wall. The highest thunderstorm tops, reaching heights of about 13km (~8.1 miles), were found by TRMM PR to be located in the northeast side of the eye wall. Click

Tropical storm Cosme was illuminated by morning sunlight when the TRMM satellite flew over on June 24, 2013 at 1304 UTC (8:04 AM PDT). COSME had become much better organized since being upgraded to a tropical depression 24 hours earlier. A rainfall analysis derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation (PR) data are shown overlaid on a visible/infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS). TRMM PR found rain falling at a rate of over 113 mm/hr (~4.4 inches) just to the south of Cosme's center of circulation. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used to show

As predicted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), tropical depression two strengthened in the Bay Of Campeche and became tropical storm Barry on Wednesday June 19, 2013 at 1:45 PM CDT (18:45 UTC). Barry's center of circulation made landfall today just north of Veracruz, Mexico between 1200 and 1300 UTC with 40kt(~46 mph) winds. The NHC has forecast that heavy rainfall from Barry "could cause life-threatening flash flooding and mud slides..." This image uses data captured when the TRMM satellite had a good view of tropical storm Barry on June 20, 2013 at 1510 UTC (10:10 AM CDT). A rainfall

The TRMM satellite passed above tropical depression two on June 18, 2013 at 2336 UTC (6:43 PM CDT). A red circle shows the approximate location of TD02 just before it entered the Bay Of Campeche in the the southern Gulf Of Mexico. Data from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments showed that TD02 was still only producing light to moderate rainfall. The most intense rainfall over land, at about 28.7mm/hr (~1.1 inches), was found by TRMM's TMI in a line of storms extending from northwestern Guatemala into the Gulf Of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center (NHC)

Tropical depression two that formed on Monday June 17, 2013 was observed by the TRMM satellite on June 18, 2013 at 0034 UTC (8:34 PM EDT). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data showed that rainfall around TD02 was mainly light to moderate with TRMM PR finding that the heaviest rainfall of slightly over 69 mm/hr (2.7 inches) was located in Nicaragua.

Today TRMM satellite also flew above tropical storm Leepi just to the east of the Philippines at 0947 UTC. Data from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments found the most intense rainfall in powerful storms near Leepi's center and in rain bands spiraling into Leepi from the south. TRMM PR data were used to make this 3-D view of tropical storm Leepi's vertical structure. Some of the powerful storms near Leepi's center reached heights above 16.5km (~10.25 miles). Tropical storm Leepi is predicted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to increase slightly in

Tropical Storm Andrea formed on the late afternoon of June 5th, 2013 from a trough of low pressure that had persisted for several days over the southeast Gulf of Mexico. This trough extended out over the Gulf from the Yucatan Peninsula and provided the focus for the development of showers and thunderstorms in the region, eventually leading to the formation of Tropical Storm Andrea. With its suite of passive microwave and active radar sensors, TRMM is ideally suited to measure rainfall from space. For increased coverage, TRMM is used to calibrate rainfall estimates from other additional

The TRMM satellite satellite flew directly above tropical storm Andrea on Wednesday June 5, 2013 at 2234 UTC (6:34 PM EDT) and received data used in the image on the left. These data were captured just over an hour after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) named tropical storm Andrea. A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments shows that moderate to heavy rain was wrapping around the eastern side of the storm. The heaviest rainfall of 124.5 mm/hr (~4.9 inches) from TRMM PR data was found on Andrea's southeast side. TRMM had another fairly

Last week's flooding and tornadoes caused the reported deaths of at least 18 people in Oklahoma. Today extensive flooding from heavy rainfall occurred in Missouri when a levee was breached. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center was used in this analysis to show rainfall over these areas. TRMM with its combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors was used to calibrate rainfall estimates from other satellites. TMPA rainfall totals are shown here for the 21-day period from May 14 to June 4, 2013. Heavy