Rafael

Tropical Storm Rafael Getting Stronger A low pressure center in the eastern Caribbean Sea became tropical storm Rafael on Friday October 12, 2012. The tropical storm wasn't very well organized until today but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Rafael will become a hurricane this evening. The TRMM satellite saw most of Rafael on October 15, 2012 at 0218 UTC (10:18 PM EDT October 14) and collected data used in the rainfall analysis on the right.

Hurricane Rafael has started to pick up speed after it passed to the east of Bermuda. This image shows a TRMM rainfall analysis that used data collected from two recent passes above Hurricane Rafael. The first orbit was on Tuesday October 16, 2012 at 2250 UTC (6:50 PM EDT). The second orbit received data when TRMM passed over on Wednesday October 17, 2012 at 0028 UTC (8:28 PM EDT on October 16, 2012). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that Rafael was producing rainfall over a large area of the Atlantic. Bermuda was shown getting light to moderate rain showers