The TRMM satellite had an excellent look at typhoon Jelawat on September 29, 2012 at 1944 UTC. Jelawat had already battered Okinawa with 75kt (~87mph) winds and was headed for the main islands of Japan. An analysis of rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments is shown overlaid on an enhanced infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS). Rain is shown falling at a rate of over 90mm/hr (~3.5 inches) in strong feeder bands northwest of Jelawat's center of circulation. Jelawat was already causing light to moderate rainfall on the

The first tropical cyclone of the 2012 South-West Indian Ocean season called Anais formed northeast of Madagascar yesterday. The TRMM satellite saw Anais on October 13, 2012 at 0805 UTC (~12:05 PM Local). TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) rainfall are shown on the right. Intense bands of rain are shown spiraling around the southern side of the intensifying tropical cyclone. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used to make the 3-D perspective image above. It shows that Anais' had a developing eye wall containing towering thunderstorms reaching an altitude of 15km

The TRMM satellite saw tropical cyclones in three ocean basins today. TRMM flew nearly above tropical storm Patty in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of the Bahamas first on October 12, 2012 at 0326 UTC. It was night so an enhanced infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) was overlaid with a rainfall analysis derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments. Patty's location, close to the edge of the TMI swath, is shown with a red tropical storm symbol. TRMM also viewed a developing tropical cyclone in the South-West Indian Ocean on October

The TRMM satellite again flew above typhoon Prapiroon in the western Pacific Ocean on October 15, 2012 at 0632 UTC. Prapiroon's sustained wind speeds had dropped to 70 kts (~81 mph) with a large and ragged eye being it's dominant feature. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) data indicated that the most intense rain bands south of Prapiroon's eye were dropping rain at a rate of about 30-40 mm/hr (~1.2 to 1.6 inches).

The TRMM satellite recently had good views of tropical storm Prapiroon when it was passing east of Japan. The TRMM satellite captured data on October 18, 2012 at 0845UTC and again at 1019 UTC. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data show that rain associated with Prapiroon was falling at a rate of over 75mm/hr (~3 inches) in a feeder band northwest of the center of circulation. TRMM PR found radar reflectivity values above 50.770 dBz in that area. Some of the rainfall over Japan was being caused by a frontal system that was interacting with tropical storm Prapiroon

Tropical Storm Rafael Getting Stronger A low pressure center in the eastern Caribbean Sea became tropical storm Rafael on Friday October 12, 2012. The tropical storm wasn't very well organized until today but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Rafael will become a hurricane this evening. The TRMM satellite saw most of Rafael on October 15, 2012 at 0218 UTC (10:18 PM EDT October 14) and collected data used in the rainfall analysis on the right.