IFloods Setup
Image Caption
NASA and Iowa Flood Center staff install instrumentation in eastern Iowa for the IFloodS campaign.
Recent Flooding in the Midwest, 5 Year Anniversary of 2008 Flood
An advancing frontal system extending from the Great Lakes region all the way down to the Gulf Coast supported a line of widespread storms and thunderstorms that brought heavy rain to parts of Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana. The hardest hit area was northern Illinois where flooding was reported in and around Chicago. The scenario was set up by a deep upper-level trough that moved out of the Rockies and into the Plains. Strong southerly winds ahead of the trough allowed warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to stream northwards all the way up to Lake Michigan. The TRMM-based, near-real
GPM: For Good Measure
The short video, 'For Good Measure' explains why scientists turn to satellites to get a worldwide view of rainfall.
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TRMM Sees Tropical Cyclone Imelda
The TRMM satellite flew directly over an intensifying tropical cyclone called Imelda in the South Indian Ocean on April 8, 2013 at 0447 UTC. This rainfall analysis used data collected with TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments. This analysis shows a large area of rainfall on the western side of the developing tropical cyclone. TRMM PR found that some powerful convective storms in this area were dropping rain a rate of over 86mm/hr (~3.4 inches).
Our Wet Wide World (GPM Overview)
As anyone who has ever been caught in a sudden and unexpected downpour knows, gaps still exist in our knowledge about the behavior and movement of precipitation, clouds and storms. An upcoming satellite mission from NASA and the Japanese Space Agency aims to fill in those gaps both in coverage and in scientists' understanding of precipitation.