Summer has not yet arrived, and yet there are currently 3 active tropical systems in the Northern Hemisphere spread across three different ocean basins. Perhaps, the most unusual of the three is Tropical Storm Alberto in the Atlantic. Alberto formed in the western Atlantic from a stationary low pressure system off of the coast of South Carolina on the 19th of May 2012, two weeks before the official June 1st start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Alberto is the first tropical storm to form this early in the season since Tropical Storm Ana in 2003, which formed on the 20th of April west of

The TRMM satellite flew above tropical storm Alberto when it was forming off the coast of South Carolina today. TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data captured at (12 minutes after midnight EDT) were used in the rainfall analysis shown above. It shows a large area of moderate to heavy rainfall with a small area of heavy rainfall located near the center of the forming tropical cyclone.

While Tropical storm Aletta is forecast to weaken and dissipate another tropical cyclone appears to be forming in the eastern Pacific south of Acapulco, Mexico. The TRMM satellite passed above this tropical disturbance (92E) on 18 May 2012 at 0957 UTC. Data captured with this pass by TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments were used in the rainfall analysis shown. This analysis indicates that this area contained very heavy rainfall in the northeastern quadrant of the disturbance. Some storms were producing rainfall at a rate of over 50 mm/hr (~2 inches). A 3-D

Congratulations to our partner, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), for the successful launch yesterday of the Global Change Observation Mission 1st - Water (GCOM-W1). GCOM-W1 carries the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) which successfully deployed its antenna on orbit. AMSR2 will detect microwave radiation to measure sea surface temperature, sea surface wind speed, sea ice concentration, snow depth, soil moisture, water vapor, cloud liquid water, and precipitation. GCOM-W1 will be a part of the GPM constellation, contributing its measurements to the GPM global data

The TRMM satellite passed almost directly above tropical storm Aletta in the eastern Pacific Ocean on 16 March 2012 at 1146 UTC. Data from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments were used in the rainfall analysis shown above. Aletta's past and future positions are shown overlaid in white. Aletta looks disorganized in this orbit but some very heavy thunderstorms, producing rainfall at a rate greater than 50mm/hr (~2 inches), were located near the storm's center. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) found that some thunderstorms contained very heavy rainfall with a