After moving very little for the last few days hurricane Blanca has again started to move toward the Baja Peninsula. The GPM core observatory satellite passed directly over Blanca on June 4, 2015 at 2056 UTC when the hurricane had maximum sustained wind speeds of about 85 kts (~98 mph). GPM discovered that Blanca had very little convective rainfall in the center of a large cloudy eye. The satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (Ku Band) instruments measured rain falling at a rate of over 85mm (3.3 inches) per hour in a band of powerful storms moving around

Today a new tropical storm called Blanka formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean off southwestern Mexico. The GPM core observatory satellite flew over the forming tropical storm on June 1, 2015 at 1031 UTC (5:31 AM CDT). Rainfall data collected by GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments are shown The location of Blanka's center of circulation within a large area of convective thunderstorms was clearly outlined by GPM's GMI derived rainfall. A 3-D view derived from DPR's Ku Band radar data shows that several areas of intense rainfall were located east

Tropical storm Andres became the first tropical storm of the the 2015 Eastern Pacific hurricane season today at 1500 UTC (9 AM MDT). The GPM core observatory satellite flew over the intensifying tropical cyclone (TD1E) at 1225 UTC ( 6:25 AM MDT). Rainfall data from GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (Ku Band) instruments are shown overlaid on an enhanced GOES-EAST satellite infrared image received at 1230 UTC (6:30 AM MDT). Rain was found by GMI to be falling at a rate of over 60 mm (2.4 inches) per hour in powerful convective storms near Andres' center. Data

A stagnant upper-air pattern that spread numerous storms and heavy rains from central Texas up into Oklahoma has resulted in record flooding for parts of the Lone Star State. One of the hardest hit areas was in Hays County Texas south of Austin where the Blanco River rose rapidly and set a new record crest at over 40 feet, 13 feet above flood stage, following a night of very heavy rain in the area, with over 12 inches reported locally in a short period of time, in an area already wet from previous storms. The combination of high pressure over the southeastern United States and a persistent