TRMM

Beginning this past weekend, parts of central and northern Italy received several days of heavy rain as an upper-level trough situated over western Europe down through the Iberian Peninsula in conjunction with a persistent area of low pressure at the surface over the northern coast of Africa brought a steady flow of warm, moist, unstable air northeastward across the country from the western Mediterranean. A stationary frontal boundary draped across the northern third of the Italian Peninsula provided the focus for showers and storms in that part of the country. The rains caused flooding in

The TRMM satellite had an excellent look at typhoon Jelawat on September 29, 2012 at 1944 UTC. Jelawat had already battered Okinawa with 75kt (~87mph) winds and was headed for the main islands of Japan. An analysis of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments is shown overlaid on an enhanced infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS). Rain is shown falling at a rate of over 90mm/hr (~3.5 inches) in strong feeder bands northwest of Jelawat's center of circulation. Jelawat was already causing light to moderate rainfall on the

The first tropical cyclone of the 2012 South-West Indian Ocean season called Anais formed northeast of Madagascar yesterday. The TRMM satellite saw Anais on October 13, 2012 at 0805 UTC (~12:05 PM Local). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) rainfall are shown on the right. Intense bands of rain are shown spiraling around the southern side of the intensifying tropical cyclone. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used to make the 3-D perspective image above. It shows that Anais' had a developing eye wall containing towering thunderstorms reaching an altitude of 15km

The TRMM satellite saw tropical cyclones in three ocean basins today. TRMM flew nearly above tropical storm Patty in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of the Bahamas first on October 12, 2012 at 0326 UTC. It was night so an enhanced infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) was overlaid with a rainfall analysis derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments. Patty's location, close to the edge of the TMI swath, is shown with a red tropical storm symbol. TRMM also viewed a developing tropical cyclone in the South-West Indian Ocean on October

The TRMM satellite again flew above typhoon Prapiroon in the western Pacific Ocean on October 15, 2012 at 0632 UTC. Prapiroon's sustained wind speeds had dropped to 70 kts (~81 mph) with a large and ragged eye being it's dominant feature. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) data indicated that the most intense rain bands south of Prapiroon's eye were dropping rain at a rate of about 30-40 mm/hr (~1.2 to 1.6 inches).

The TRMM satellite recently had good views of tropical storm Prapiroon when it was passing east of Japan. The TRMM satellite captured data on October 18, 2012 at 0845UTC and again at 1019 UTC. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that rain associated with Prapiroon was falling at a rate of over 75mm/hr (~3 inches) in a feeder band northwest of the center of circulation. TRMM PR found radar reflectivity values above 50.770 dBz in that area. Some of the rainfall over Japan was being caused by a frontal system that was interacting with tropical storm Prapiroon

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

Yesterday Sandy dropped to tropical storm intensity but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) decided on October 27,2012 at 1500 UTC (11 AM EDT) that Sandy was again a minimal hurricane. The rainfall analysis on the right was made from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data collected when TRMM flew above less than an hour later at 1552 UTC (11:52 AM EDT). This analysis includes some rainfall that was beyond the reach of land based radar observations.

Hurricane Sandy, located east of the Carolina's, has maintained minimal hurricane strength while following it's forecast track toward the northeast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Sandy will make a turn toward the Mid-Atlantic coast tomorrow. As a post-tropical low Sandy is then predicted to produce extremely heavy rainfall and dangerously high winds over a large area of the North-East after landfall. The TRMM satellite collected data when it flew over hurricane Sandy again today at 1456 UTC (10:56 AM EDT). An analysis of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and