The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has given an area of disturbed weather in the eastern Pacific Ocean a high probability (70%) of becoming a tropical cyclone. The TRMM satellite flew over this disturbance, located about 2,680km (~1,665 miles) east-southeastof the Hawaiian Islands, on 14 August 2011 at 2306 UTC. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) revealed that numerous heavy thunderstorms in an area west of the low pressure center were dropping rain at the rate of over 50mm/hr (~2 inches). TRMM's PR also showed that a few thunderstorm towers near the center of the developing tropical cyclone

Tropical Storm Gert became the seventh named tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean basin on Sunday August 14, 2011 at 1800 UTC ( 2 PM EDT). Gert was located southeast of Bermuda and appeared small but well organized when the TRMM satellite flew over on 15 August 2011 at 0101 UTC. A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) shows a comma shaped area of moderate to heavy rainfall wrapping around the center of the small storm. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Gert to intensify slightly while passing just to the east of Bermuda. Click here to see earlier TRMM information

Tropical Storm Franklin was only active for a short time but the TRMM satellite had a fairly good view when it passed above on Saturday August 13 at 0115 UTC. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI data shows that Franklin was dropping some light to moderate rainfall north-northeast of Bermuda. Franklin became extra-tropical a little later as it moved into the open waters of the north Atlantic.

The above image shows that remnants of tropical storm Emily were still generating a few strong thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean when the TRMM satellite passed above on 10 August 2011 at 0227 UTC. TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) revealed that a few of the tallest thunderstorm towers in Emily's remnants reached to heights of over 11 km (~6.8 miles).

The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. TMPA rainfall totals associated with tropical storm Emily are shown for the period from 1 to 8 August 2011. Approximate locations for Emily are shown with appropriate red symbols and the storm's 0000Z positions were labeled. The TMPA analysis above indicates that Emily dropped the heaviest rainfall totals of close to 300 mm (~11.8 inches) in the Caribbean Sea south of the Dominican Republic. Tropical storm Emily formed near