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Content which is associated solely with the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.

Hurricane Irene Intensifies

TRMM image of hurricane Irene intesifying as it nears the Bahamas
Thursday, August 25, 2011
UPDATE: Monday, August 29th, 2011 Irene Drenches Northeastern United States UPDATE: Friday, August 26th, 2011 Irene Passes Through the Bahamas, Heads Towards Cape Hatterus Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 After becoming a small hurricane while passing over Puerto Rico, Irene re-emerged over the warm, open waters of the western Atlantic northwest of the Dominican Republic on the morning of August 22nd. The storm quickly showed signs of intensifying as deep convective towers arose near the center of Irene, releasing heat into the core of the system. In response, Irene's central pressure fell and...
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Irene Gathers Strength, Takes Aim at the Bahamas

TRMM radar image showing vertical cloud structure of Irene over Bahamas
After becoming a small hurricane while passing over Puerto Rico, Irene re-emerged over the warm, open waters of the western Atlantic northwest of the Dominican Republic on the morning of August 22nd. The storm quickly showed signs of intensifying as deep convective towers arose near the center of Irene, releasing heat into the core of the system. In response, Irene's central pressure fell and winds intensified, making it a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale with sustained winds reported at 85 knots (~100 mph) by the National Hurricane Center by the end of the day

TRMM Gets a Look at Irene, the First Hurricane of the Atlantic Season

TMM radar image showing vertical structure of Irene
It's been a busy season so far in terms of tropical storms with seven named storms already in the Atlantic basin; however, none of them have had a very large impact as they have either been small, short-lived or remained at sea and none of them have intensified into a hurricane until now. Irene, which originated from a tropical wave that propagated off the west coast of Africa, became the 8th named storm of the season as it approached the Lesser Antilles on the 20th of August and the first hurricane of the season as it was passing over Puerto Rico on the morning of the 22nd. Now back over open

Harvey Dropped Heavy Rain In Some Areas

TRMM rain-map image of Harvey
Tropical storm Harvey is dissipating inland over southern Mexico while hurricane Irene is drenching the island of Puerto Rico. Harvey's track is shown on the rainfall analysis above with appropriate tropical cyclone symbols in white. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides quantitative rainfall estimates over the global tropics. An analysis of TMPA rainfall totals for the period August 15-22, 2011 is shown for the area transited by tropical storm Harvey. The highest rainfall total associated with Harvey was

Tropical Storm Irene Forms

TRMM image of Irene
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued it's first advisory for tropical storm Irene on 20 August 2011 at 2300 UTC (7 PM EDT). The TRMM satellite passed over the intensifying storm a little later on 22 August 2011 at 0024 UTC (8:24 PM EDT). Data collected with this orbit showed that Irene contained numerous powerful thunderstorms with TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) revealing that some thunderstorm towers near the center of the storm were reaching to heights above 15 km (~9.3 miles). The NHC has forecasted that Irene will become a hurricane within 36 hours while moving in a west

Strong Tropical Storm Harvey Comes Ashore

TRMM image of Harvey
The TRMM satellite had an excellant daylight view of tropical storm Harvey on 20 August 2011 at 1744 UTC ( 1:44 PM EDT) as the storm was coming ashore in Belize. An Air Force Reserve aircraft reported to the National Hurricane Center that Harvey's winds had increased to 63 kts (~72.5 mph) just before landfall. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that heavy thunderstorms were occurring over land northwest of the storm's center.

Colder Water Chills Fernanda

Sea surface temperature image around Fernanda
Ocean water warmer than 26C is a necessary condition for tropical cyclones to support convection. A TMI based Sea Surface Temperature (SST) analysis for three days ending on 18 August 2011 is shown above. Tropical Storm Fernanda's path (overlaid in white) recently took it over ocean waters colder than 26 Celcius so it has weakened considerably. The TRMM satellite passed over Fernanda on 19 August 2011 at 0648 UTC. The TMI and PR rainfall analysis from this pass shows that there is now very little rainfall with the weakening storm. See earlier news about Tropical Storm Fernanda

Tropical Depression 08L Forms In The Caribbean

Tropical Depression 08L Forms In The Caribbean
The TRMM satellite had a good daytime view of the tropical wave that was upgraded to the Atlantic Ocean basin's eighth tropical depression on 19 August 2011 at 0300 UTC (18 August 11 PM EDT). An image from TRMM's pass on 18 August 2011 at 1757 UTC (1:37 PM EDT) is displayed above and reveals that the precipitation pattern was getting a little better organized but heavy rainfall didn't cover a large portion of 08L at that time. Tropical depression 08L is predicted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to weaken to a remnant low in the next three days while producing rain over Honduras

Tropical Cyclone Forming in the Caribbean

TRMM Image of tropical cyclone forming in the Caribbean
On 18 August 2011 at 0307 UTC (11:07 PM EDT) the TRMM satellite traveled above an area of organized shower activity in the Caribbean Sea that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts will soon become a tropical cyclone. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that this tropical wave south of Jamaica contained several areas of convective thunderstorms that were dropping rainfall at the rate of over 40 mm/hr (~1.6 inches). TRMM's PR data show that some thunderstorm towers in this stormy area were higher than 13 km (~8 miles).
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