So far this year no tropical cyclones have developed in the Southwest Indian Ocean. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) recently warned that a low moving westward over northwestern Australia may soon become a tropical cyclone. Warm Indian Ocean waters and low vertical wind shear are providing a good environment for tropical cyclone development. The GPM satellite flew over northwestern Australia on January 25, 2017 at 2351 UTC. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) measured precipitation within strong convection in the Indian Ocean northwest of the lows

It is sunny in southern California today but recent unusually heavy rainfall led to rock slides, mudslides and flooding in that part of the country. Rainfall of almost 4 inches (101.6 mm) in one day was reported in Long Beach, California. Some highways in the area were flooded due to intense downpours. Rainfall since the fall of 2016 has improved drought conditions over northern California but Southern California has been slower to improve because of the exceptional rainfall deficit in that area. NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) were used to estimate the total

Widespread flooding has recently caused the deaths of dozens of people in southern Thailand. Frequent and persistent downpours have resulted in record rainfall totals. NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) were used to estimate the total amount of rain that fell over southern Thailand during the past week. Extreme rainfall totals of over 700 mm (27.6 inches) were shown over the Gulf of Thailand. The highest rainfall total estimates over land were greater than 500 mm (19.7 inches) on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula in the Bang Saphan district. Rainfall has

An atmospheric river (“Pineapple Express”) delivered over 5 inches of rainfall in parts of California during January 3-10, 2017 (bottom) as viewed by GPM’s IMERG data. California, which has long been suffering through a strong, multi-year drought, is finally beginning to see some much needed relief as a result of a recent series of storms that are part of a weather pattern known as the “Pineapple Express.” The Pineapple Express is known as an atmospheric river. A large, slow-moving low pressure center off of the West Coast taps into tropical moisture originating from as far south as the