TRMM

Over a period of 10 days, a series of three tropical cyclones brought heavy rains and devastating flooding to parts of the Philippines, southern China and Vietnam. The first of these storms to form--and the most devastating--was Typhoon Nesat, which began in the central Philippine Sea. This storm intensified as it tracked westward reaching Category 3 intensity just before making landfall on the northern Philippines island of Luzon early on the morning of the 27th of September. It brought heavy rains and widespread flooding to the region and was initially blamed for 56 fatalities in the

Two tropical cyclones called Irwin and Jova have developed in the eastern Pacific southwest of Mexico. The TRMM satellite traveled above tropical storm Jova on 7 October 2011 at 0413 UTC collecting data used in the images above. Jova is predicted to become a hurricane on the morning of 8 October and move northeastward toward the Mexican coast. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data, shown above, reveals that Jova had a cluster of very powerful thunderstorms near the center of the intensifying storm. Some of these thunderstorms were reaching to heights of over 17 km (~10.6 miles).

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded Philippe to a hurricane at 1500 UTC (11 AM EDT) on Thursday 6 October 2011. Earlier TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) data from the 6 October 2011 at 0024 UTC view shows that tropical storm Philippe's center of circulation had become better defined with an eye wall forming. The TRMM satellite also had an excellent look at Philippe earlier on Wednesday 5 October 2011 at 1752 UTC (1:52 PM EDT). TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) scanned directly over Philippe and revealed that Philippe had bands of intense rainfall around the southeast side of the center of

was a tropical storm and weakening rapidly when the TRMM satellite saw it on 4 October 2011 at 0624 UTC. This rainfall analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) shows only scattered areas of light to moderate rainfall were present with Nalgae as it moved into the Gulf Of Tonkin west of Hainan. Click here to see earlier TRMM information about Nalgae.

Philippe was still a tropical storm when the TRMM satellite passed above on 3 October 2011 at 1806 UTC (2:06 PM EDT) but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that the storm may become a hurricane in a couple days. TRMM's TMI and PR data show that bands of powerful convective thunderstorms were still dropping rain at a rate of over 50mm/hr (~2 inches) near the center of the storm.

Tropical Storm Philippe, located in the central Atlantic Ocean, has shown signs of strengthening. The TRMM satellite obtained those data used in the above image when it passed over on 2 October 2011 at 1902 UTC ( 3:02 PM EDT). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) derived rainfall showed that Philippe had powerful thunderstorms in the north-central part of the storm dropping rainfall at a rate over 50 mm/hr (~2 inches). TRMM's PR was used in the image below show a vertical cross section (slice) through one of these thunderstorms. This image shows that one of these tall

The TRMM satellite had a good look at typhoon Nalgae on 2 October 2011 at 0637 UTC after it became the second typhoon in a week to hit the Philippines. Nalgae was in the middle of the South China Sea headed toward southern Hainan. In this image a rainfall analysis from TMI and PR data was overlaid on a combination Infrared and Visible image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) instrument. See earlier information about Nalgae

Ophelia was a very powerful category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds of over 115 kts (~132 mph) when TRMM passed over head on 2 October 2011 at 0049 UTC. The Infrared image from that orbit shows that Ophelia had a small clear eye as it was passing well to the east of Bermuda. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data revealed that heavy rainfall was located in the northern side of the eye wall.

The Philippines is still reeling from the devastation caused by typhoon Nesat as another typhoon called Nalgae approaches from the east. Nalgae formed on 27 October 2011 near the same area of the western Pacific Ocean where Nesat originated. The TRMM satellite had a daylight look at Nalgae (known as Quiel in the Philippines) on 30 September 2011 at 0653 UTC. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data shows heavy rainfall near Nalgae's eye. The total area of rainfall isn't as extensive as it was with typhoon Nesat at this distance from the Philippines. Click here to see a

The TRMM satellite saw tropical storm Ophelia on 29 September 2011 at 2008 UTC ( 4:08 PM EDT) shortly before the storm was upgraded to a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). An analysis of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data shows that Ophelia was developing an eye with powerful thunderstorms located in the northwestern side of the forming eye wall. On Friday 30 October 2011 Ophelia further intensified to become a powerful category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds of 100kts (~115 mph). The NHC has predicted that this