The TRMM satellite saw two tropical storms in the western Pacific Ocean as they were in early stages of development. These 3-D views were made from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data collected on 25 July 2011 at 1631 UTC and 26 July 2011 at 0049 UTC. Those data show that developing tropical storms NOCK-TEN (10W) and 11W both had towering convective storms near their centers of circulation that extended to heights above 15km (~9.3 miles). These tall towers are associated with convective bursts and can be a sign of future strengthening because they indicate areas where energy is being released

The GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) successfully completed Pre-Environmental Review (PER) on July 19-20, 2011, at Ball Aerospace in Colorado, which marks another key milestone for the GMI instrument. The GMI will undergo acoustic testing, vibration testing, and electromagnetic and thermal vacuum testing starting in August 2011. The GMI instrument is a multi-channel, conical-scanning, microwave radiometer, enabling the GPM Core Observatory to serve as a radiometric reference and also a transfer standard for the other GPM constellation members. Learn more about the GMI

Typhoon Ma-On formed from an area of disturbed weather in the northwest Pacific halfway between Wake Island and the Northern Marianas on the 11th of July 2011. The system slowly developed and became a typhoon two days later on the 13th as it continued tracking westward. Ma-On then reached its maximum intensity on the 15th with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (~132 mph), making it a Category 4 typhoon, before turning northward towards southern Japan. Ma-On began to weaken as it neared the southeast coast of Japan where it briefly made landfall in southern Tokushima Prefecture on the