TRMM

The TRMM satellite saw hurricane Henriette again on August 8, 2013 at 1709UTC (~8:09 AM Local Time). Henriette is predicted to start weakening tomorrow but with this TRMM pass the hurricane's eye could still be easily found on the TRMM visible (VIRS) image on the left. Henriette was small but TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) showed that moderate to heavy rainfall was occurring in an area around the center of the hurricane.

Hurricane Henriette, located a little over 1,770km (~1100 miles) east of Hawaii, was still intense with winds of 90kts (~103.5 mph) this morning. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Henriette will weaken tomorrow as it moves over cooler waters and encounters west-southwesterly wind shear. Henriette's track was overlaid on a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) analysis that was derived from observations by the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) radiometer. Sea Surface temperatures have to be warmer than 26 °C for tropical cyclones to survive and this analysis indicates that hurricane Henriette

The TRMM satellite flew over the eastern Pacific Ocean on August 6, 2013 0233 UTC (~5:33 PM local time) collecting data for the low sun angle views of hurricane Henriette shown here. The Visible/Infrared image on the left shows the shadows cast by towering thunderstorms on the northeastern side of Henriette's forming eye wall. The image on the right shows the same image with rainfall derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments overlaid. TRMM's PR instrument measured rain falling at the rate of over 55.46mm/hr (~2.2 inches) per hour in this towering

The TRMM satellite had an excellent day time view of dissipating tropical depression Flossie as it was moving to the northwest of the Hawaiian Islands on July 30, 2013 at 2348 UTC (1:38 PM HAST). An analysis of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) is shown overlaid on a combination visible and infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) instrument. This analysis shows that very little precipitation was then occurring near the center of the weakening tropical cyclone's circulation. The most intense rain was found by TRMM to be falling at a

Weakening tropical storm Flossie had lightning with heavy rain and winds as it drove through the Hawaiian islands. The TRMM satellite flew above tropical depression Flossie on July 30, 2013 at 0717 UTC (July 29, 2013 at 9:17 PM HAST). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments showed that the heaviest rain at that time was located to the southwest of the Islands and was falling at a rate of over 88mm/hr (3.5 inches). Flossie's approximate locations with appropriate tropical cyclone symbols are shown overlaid in white. TRMM's Precipitation Radar is able to separate

The TRMM satellite had a very good view of tropical storm Flossie in the eastern Pacific Ocean on July 28, 2013 at 0734 UTC. The image on the left shows an analysis of rainfall data from that pass using TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments. TRMM PR data found rain falling at a rate of over 46 mm/hr (~1.8 inches) in storms just south of Flossie's center of circulation. TRMM PR also found that some of these storms were returning 45dBZ reflectivity values to the satellite indicating that moderate to heavy rain was falling in that area. The map on the right shows

The TRMM satellite flew over tropical storm Dorian on July 24, 2013 at 1648 UTC providing data used in this image. Only light to moderate rainfall was found near Dorian's center of circulation by TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments. Precipitation is shown overlaid on a visible/infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS).

Extreme, sometimes disastrous, monsoon rainfall has occurred so far over India during June and July 2013. The image above shows rainfall total estimates from space satellite data for the seven day period ending on June 17, 2013. Near real-time TRMM Merged HQ/Infrared Precipitation (3B42) data, with seven days totals, were analyzed for the period from June 14-July 25, 2013. These rainfall estimates are shown in simulated 3-D perspective views with higher precipitation amounts appearing to be taller than lower amounts. Rainfall totals were also color enhanced with lower amounts being assigned

The image on the left used data captured by the TRMM satellite on July 22, 2013 at 1703 UTC when it passed above a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The tropical wave had moved from Africa into the eastern Atlantic earlier in the day. The TRMM satellite view on the right shows that the tropical wave's organization had greatly improved when data was again collected on July 23, 2013 at 0253 UTC. Analyses of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) are shown overlaid on Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) data. A combination visible and infrared VIRS

The TRMM satellite had another excellent view of tropical storm Cimaron near the coast of China on July 18, 2013 at 1804 UTC. This TRMM pass showed that Cimaron still contained some powerful thunderstorms. Some of these storms were found by TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument to be dropping rain at a rate of over 141mm/hr (~5.6 inches). Some of this heavy rainfall was returning values of over 54dBZ to the satellite. Tropical storm Cimaron dissipated quickly after coming ashore but produced heavy rainfall that caused flooding in China's Fujian Province. This 3-D view from TRMM's