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Extreme weather news and updates.

GPM Examines Violent Thunderstorms in U.S.

GPM Examines Violent Thunderstorms in U.S.
Severe weather moved through the southern U.S. on February 2 and 3, and NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite examined the violent thunderstorms. On February 3, 2016 at 1851 UTC (1:51 p.m. EST) the GPM core observatory satellite flew over a line of storms extending from the Gulf coast of Florida through New York state. Tornadoes were spotted in Georgia and South Carolina within this area of violent weather. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments measured the precipitation within the area. As the satellite passed above, GPM

Extreme Precipitation Measured From Space

Extreme Precipitation Measured From Space
For over a week the weather over the continental United State's has been punctuated by extreme events. Automobiles were thrown around on January 27, 2016 by tornadoes that hit southern Florida. On January 31 a winter storm with heavy rain, strong winds and isolated thunderstorms hit southern California killing at least one person. There were numerous reports of hail with these storms ranging from pea sized to up to an inch in diameter. Powerful winds with these storms also brought down trees and power lines. A blizzard that followed the Democratic and Republican caucuses in Iowa dropped over

Intensifying Tropical Low Threatens Western Australia

Intensifying Tropical Low Threatens Western Australia
So far this year, no tropical cyclones have formed near Australia. A tropical low is now getting better organized in the Indian Ocean off Australia's northwestern coast. The GPM core observatory flew over this area of disturbed weather on January 27, 2016 at 0946 UTC. GPM's Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instrument measured rain falling at a rate of 96.7 mm (3.8 inches) per hour in towering convective storms within spiraling bands around the tropical low. GPM's Radar (DPR Ku band) made 3-D measurements of convective storm top heights. Some storm tops were found to reach altitudes of

GPM Flies Over Dissipating Tropical Cyclone Corentin

GPM Flies Over Dissipating Tropical Cyclone Corentin
Tropical cyclone Corentin was the first named tropical cyclone of 2016 in the South Indian Ocean. Corentin caused little danger because it's genesis, maturation and dissipation have all occurred over the South Indian Ocean about equidistant from the distant shores of Madagascar and Australia. The GPM core observatory satellite flew over Tropical Cyclone Corentin on January 25, 2016 at 1306 UTC. High vertical wind shear was starting to take it's toll on the increasingly disorganized tropical cyclone. Rainfall collected by GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)

Storm Brings Heavy Precip. to Northeast

Storm Brings Heavy Precipitation to Northeast
Friday, January 22, 2016
UPDATE 1/23/2016 5:00pm ET On January 23, 2016 at 1239 UTC (7:39 AM EST) the GPM core observatory passed above the deadly winter storm that was burying the Northeast under a deep layer of snow. As GPM passed above a band of snow was shown approaching the island of Manhattan. The winter storm was predicted to dump near record snowfall in New York city. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments showed massive amounts of moisture being transported from the Atlantic Ocean over states from New York westward through West Virginia. GPM's Radar instruments...
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Developing Tropical Cyclone Viewed By GPM

Developing Tropical Cyclone Viewed By GPM
The GPM core observatory satellite saw a tropical cyclone developing in the South Indian Ocean east of Madagascar on January 21, 2016 at 0146 UTC. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) measured precipitation in the potential tropical cyclone. The most intense showers were shown by the GMI instrument to be dropping rain at a rate of over 71 mm (2.8 inches) per hour in strong storms to the northeast of the tropical low's center of circulation. GPM's radar (DPR) viewed a swath of data to the west of the developing tropical cyclone center where rain was measured

Rainy Weather Over Pacific Northwest Measured From Space

Rainy Weather Over Pacific Northwest Measured From Space
Stormy weather moving in from the Pacific Ocean has frequently affected the Pacific Northwest over the past week. Moisture moving over the Washington and Oregon coasts has been transformed into snow at colder and higher elevations in the Cascades. Coincidentally a field campaign called The Olympic Mountain Experiment (OLYMPEX) is being led by NASA in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State from November 2015 through February 2016. An analysis of precipitation that occurred in the Pacific Northwest during the period from January 12-19, 2016 is shown here. This precipitation analysis from

Alex Becomes the Earliest Hurricane to Form in the Atlantic Since 1938

Alex Becomes the Earliest Hurricane to Form in the Atlantic Since 1938
Alex is a rare storm indeed. Alex officially became a hurricane yesterday at 11:00 am Atlantic Standard Time (AST) with maximum sustained winds estimated at 85 mph by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), making it the earliest hurricane to form in the Atlantic since 1938, when the first storm of the season became a hurricane on the 4th of January. As with Alex, that storm too originated from an extratropical low pressure center. The last hurricane to occur in January was Hurricane Alice in 1955, but Alice had already become a hurricane in the year before at the end of December and survived

Rainfall Floods the Mississippi River

Rainfall Floods the Mississippi River
Thursday, January 14, 2016
A series of winter storms brought more than 20 inches of rainfall to the Midwest and southeastern United States in December 2015. Massive flooding followed throughout both the regions. An animation of rainfall data from those storms was created at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This animation shows the accumulation of rainfall over the United Stated during December 2015, from the IMERG precipitation dataset. The black outline indicates the Mississippi-Missouri River basin. This version has been edited to only show the periods of significant rainfall during the month...
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GPM Views Atlantic Low Monitored By The National Hurricane Center

GPM Views Atlantic Low Monitored By The National Hurricane Center
A low pressure center located 1100 miles southwest of the Azores has been monitored by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for possible development into a non-tropical or tropical storm. This low was producing winds of over 52 kts (60 mph). The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November so a tropical storm developing this early in the year would be unusual but not unprecented. The GPM core observatory satellite had an excellent daytime look at this area of disturbed weather on January 13, 2016 at 1201 UTC. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)
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