Typhoons

Typhoon Nesat Threatens The Philippines

The Philippines have already felt the effects of two typhoons and two tropical storms this year. The TRMM satellite had an excellent early evening view of another typhoon called Nesat on 26 September 2011 at 0856 UTC that is moving toward the Philippines. Typhoon Nesat formed in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines 23 September 2011 Nesat is predicted to hit the Philippines within 24 hours as a powerful category two typhoon with wind speeds of about 90 kts (~103.5 mph). The image above shows a rainfall analysis derived from TRMM'S Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR). Those

Typhoon Roke Brings Heavy Rains to Japan

Typhoon Roke, which made landfall as a Category 1 typhoon along the southeast coast of Honshu near the city of Hamamatsu (about 200 km southwest of Tokyo), was responsible for bringing heavy rains and flooding to most of Japan. Heavy rains actually began effecting parts of southern Japan well before the cyclone neared the coast as tropical moisture from Roke streamed northward into a stalled out frontal boundary that was draped across southern Japan. Japan is also very mountainous, which can enhance the effect. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite is used to measure

Typhoon Roke makes Landfall in Central Japan

Roke, a once powerful Category 4 typhoon with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (~132 mph), came ashore in central Japan Wednesday around 2 pm local time near Hamamatsu on the southeast coast of Honshu (about 200 km southwest of Tokyo) as a Category 1 typhoon. Roke began as a tropical depression ten days ago in the central Philippine Sea about 850 miles (~1370 km) south of Japan. For over a week, the cyclone meandered south of Japan with little change in intensity. Roke finally began to intensify on the 19th of September when it became a typhoon just east of the Ryukyu Islands and then

Typhoon Muifa To Affect Okinawa

Typhoon Muifa had wind speeds of about 95 kts (~109 mph) when the TRMM satellite passed above on 3 August 2011 at 1307 UTC. Muifa is now predicted to pass just to the south of the Japanese Island of Okinawa. The southern tip of the Okinawa is expected to be in the right front quadrant of the typhoon on 5 August 2011 where the highest winds are normally located. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in the rainfall analysis shown on the right. See earlier TRMM information about typhoon Muifa.

Typhoon Muifa Heading Toward Okinawa

MUIFA was a super typhoon with wind speeds of 140 kts (~161 mph) on 30 August but wind speeds had dropped to about 110 kts (~127 mph) when it was seen by the TRMM satellite on 1 August 2011 at 1320 UTC. This TRMM orbit revealed that MUIFA had a double eyewall indicating that the typhoon was undergoing eyewall replacement with a larger eyewall shown forming farther out from a smaller inner eyewall. Muifa is expected to still be a powerful typhoon on 4 August 2011 as it passes directly over the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Typhoon Brings Heavy Rain to Southern Japan

Typhoon Ma-On formed from an area of disturbed weather in the northwest Pacific halfway between Wake Island and the Northern Marianas on the 11th of July 2011. The system slowly developed and became a typhoon two days later on the 13th as it continued tracking westward. Ma-On then reached its maximum intensity on the 15th with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (~132 mph), making it a Category 4 typhoon, before turning northward towards southern Japan. Ma-On began to weaken as it neared the southeast coast of Japan where it briefly made landfall in southern Tokushima Prefecture on the

TRMM Shows Typhoon Drenching Southern Japan

The TRMM satellite saw typhoon MA-ON on 18 July 2011 at 2306 UTC and again on 19 July 2011 at 0221 UTC. The rainfall analysis above used TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data from both orbits. It shows that bands of very heavy rainfall of over over 50 mm (~2 inches) were falling over both of the Japanese island of Shikoku and Honshu. At the time of the later TRMM orbit MA-ON's winds had weakened to about 67 kts (~77 mph) making it a category 1 typhoon on the Saffir/Simpson scale. MA-ON is expected to move toward the east-southeast and weaken as it continues to affect

Typhoon MA-ON Threatening Japan

Typhoon MA-ON was a category 2 typhoon on the Saffir/Simpson scale with wind speeds of about 85 kts (~98 mph) when the TRMM satellite captured those data shown above on 18 July 2011 at 0316 UTC. MA-ON had weakened considerably from a very powerful category four typhoon with wind speeds of 115 kts (~132 mph) on 15 July 2011. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used to produce the rainfall analysis shown above. This TRMM analysis shows that MA-ON still contained organized bands of very intense rainfall with the most intense precipitation located in the eastern
Visualization of a Tropical Cyclone from above as it approaches Florida
Stormfront approaching the city of Bangalore, India Source: Manish Bansal Constantly scanning the Earth’s surface, the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) allows scientists to both track tropical cyclones and forecast their progression. Used by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and tropical cyclone centers in Japan, India, Australia and other countries, detailed microwave information provides data on the location, pattern and intensity of rainfall. Tropical Cyclone Eunice in the South Indian Ocean on January 28, 2015. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) found...