TRMM

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

The TRMM satellite passed directly over typhoon Nesat as it was approaching southern Asia on 28 September 2011 at 1653 UTC. The rainfall analyis on the right was derived from that TRMM pass and shows that Nesat had large bands of rainfall containing extremely intense thunderstorms. Nesat has battered Hong Kong and Hainan and is expected to drench northern Vietnam.

Powerful typhoon Nesat (known locally as Pedring) came ashore in the Philippines on Tuesday September 27, 2011 causing the deaths of at least 33 people. Nesat was classified as a category three typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds of 105 knots (~121 mph) before hitting the island of Luzon. The rainfall analysis above is the result of a TRMM-calibrated merged global Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) performed at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). These MPA rainfall total estimates were for the period from 24-29 September 2011. This analysis indicates that the highest

The TRMM satellite passed above two tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean early today. Tropical storm Philippe was seen at 0358 UTC (12:58 PM EDT 26 September 2011) and the regenerating remnants of tropical storm Ophelia were observed at 0529 UTC ( 1:29 AM EDT). TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in these images above to show the vertical structure of both storms. The image above used PR data to show that powerful thunderstorm towers were reaching to heights of over 15km (~9.3 miles) in the center of the increasingly better organized Ophelia remnants. Tropical storm Philippe on

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, 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

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

The TRMM satellite passed over newly formed tropical storm Ophelia in the Atlantic Ocean on September 2011 at 0752 UTC ( 4:52 AM EDT). TRMM shows that Ophelia isn't very well organized and contains only a few scattered areas of heavy rainfall. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has predicted that Ophelia will remain a tropical storm with wind speeds reaching a maximum of 50 kts (~58 mph).

The TRMM satellite flew over two tropical cyclones near Japan on 18 September 2011. Typhoon Sonca, shown above, was seen off the east coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu at 1805 UTC while moving away from Japan toward the north-east. Sonca was still a powerful typhoon with wind speeds of about 85 knots (~98 mph) at that time but Sonca weakened to a tropical storm on 19 September 2011 while moving over the colder waters of the northern Pacific Ocean to the north-east of Japan. TRMM saw tropical storm Roke a little later at 1840 UTC. TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) data shows that Roke

The TRMM satellite traveled above tropical storm Maria on Thursday 15 September 2011 at 1001 UTC ( 6:01 AM EDT). Maria's organization had improved over that seen by TRMM earlier in the week due to favorable (warmer) sea surface temperatures and lower upper level wind shear. A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR), displayed in a lighter swath, shows that powerful convective storms were dropping rainfall at a rate of over 50mm/hr (~2 inches) northwest of Maria's center of circulation. A large area of rainfall containing bands of heavier rainfall was also shown by TRMM's