The 2nd TRMM International Science Conference
Dates
Location
Nara, Japan
Mission Affiliation
TRMM
Content which is associated solely with the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
The 3rd TRMM International Science Conference
Dates
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mission Affiliation
TRMM Over Tropical Cyclone 18S
On 17 March 2011 at 0212 UTC the TRMM satellite passed over tropical cyclone 18S that had formed and was intensifying in the open waters of the South Indian Ocean. 18S was already well organized and TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) showed that powerful thunderstorm towers were located near 18S' center of circulation. These towers know as chimney clouds release a lot of energy and can serve to strengthen a tropical cyclone. 18S is expected to attain strong tropical storm intensity with wind speeds of at least 55 kts (~63 mph) in the next three days.
TRMM Sees Strong Thunderstorms in ARANI
The TRMM satellite had another very good view of subtropical cyclone ARANI in the morning light on 16 March 2011 at 1052 UTC. This orbit showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the south Atlantic Ocean.
Unusual Cyclone forms in South Atlantic
During the daytime on Tuesday 15 March 2011 at 1820 UTC the TRMM satellite flew over a rare cyclone labeled ARANI in the south Atlantic Ocean. ARANI has the appearance of a tropical cyclone but has been classified as a subtropical cyclone. NOAA's Satellite and Information Service classified ARANI as a T1 on the Dvorak intensity scale which would indicate an estimated wind speed of about 29 kts (~33 mph). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in the image on the right to show rainfall near ARANI. Tropical cyclones are very rare in the south Atlantic Ocean. In
Time-Radius Analysis of Hurricane Katrina
Image Caption
A time-radius and time-azimuthal distribution of rainfall near Hurricane Katrina.
Analysis of Heavy Rain over the Eastern United States
Although the heaviest rainfall over the past week was in the southern United States, flooding was reported in states from Louisiana to northern New York. The rainfall analysis above was made by merging precipitation data from multiple satellites. This Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) analysis used data products that were calibrated with TRMM precipitation data. These data products are calculated and stored at Goddard Space Flight center and are available within a few hours after being received by satellites. This analysis indicates that the greatest total rainfall for the past week
NASA Mission Update: TRMM
An update on TRMM from NASA headquarters, including an overview of the mission and its importance to society.