Extreme Weather

The GPM core observatory satellite had another excellent view of typhoon IN-FA on November 19, 2015 at 0305 UTC. This GPM pass revealed the location of typhoon IN-FA's eye beneath dense overcast. Rainfall derived from data collected by GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments show that feeder bands around IN-FA were getting better organized. The most intense precipitation was measured in IN-FA's eye wall by DPR where it was falling at a rate of almost 55 mm (2.16 inches) per hour. Most rainfall in feeder bands was shown by GPM to be only light to

On November 18, 2015 at 1533 the GPM core observatory satellite flew directly over a recently formed typhoon called IN-FA that was located near the Equator well to the southeast of Guam. Favorable environmental conditions such as low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures helped typhoon IN-FA intensify quickly from a tropical depression on November 17 to a typhoon on November 18, 2015. Rainfall from GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments were used to analyze the rainfall around typhoon IN-FA. GPM's DPR found that rain was falling at

During the past week extreme rainfall from two unnamed slow moving tropical lows has causing severe flooding in southern India. This flooding has caused the reported deaths of as many as 71 people. The city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu has been hit exceptionally hard with 59 people people killed. NASA's Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) combines all data from 12 satellites into a global map of rainfall at half hourly intervals. The rainfall accumulation analysis above was computed from data generated by IMERG during the past week from November 9-16, 2015. An

Kate became the twelfth named tropical cyclone of the of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season when it formed near the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday November 8, 2015. Kate re-curved toward the northeast and moved harmlessly over the open waters of the Atlantic. Kate's intensity peaked on November 11, 2015 with winds of about 65 kts making it a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane. The GPM core observatory satellite flew above Kate on November 11, 2015 at 0926 UTC (4:26 AM EST) capturing data used in these images. Kate's maximum sustained winds were estimated at about 60 kts (69

One week ago to the day Cyclone Chapala, the first Category 1 cyclone to strike Yemen in recorded history made landfall on the south-central coast of Yemen, bringing over a year's worth of rain and flooding to that part of the arid country. Today, yet another tropical cyclone, Megh, made landfall in Yemen. Megh, however, made landfall just to the northeast of the coastal city of Aden, which is further west than where Chapala made landfall, and only as a tropical storm. There are, however, several similarities between the two storms. Megh formed in almost the exact same spot in the central

Another tropical cyclone was caught forming by the GPM core Observatory satellite on November 4, 2015 at 1255 UTC. Deadly tropical cyclone Chapala had just dissipated over Yemen when tropical cyclone 05A started forming in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea west of India. GPM measured the rainfall within the forming tropical cyclone using the satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments. GMI and DPR found that 05A had scattered light to moderate rainfall falling at a maximum rate of only 23.3 mm (.92 inches) per hour. The Joint Typhoon Warning

Cyclone Chapala, which formed into a rare but powerful Category 4 cyclone in the Arabian Sea with winds at one time estimated at 155 mph by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) back on the 30th of October, made its initial landfall along the south coast of Yemen this morning west of the port city of Mukulla at around 09:00 UTC as a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 75 mph by JTWC, making it the first Category 1 cyclone on record to strike Yemen. The last cyclone to strike the Arabian peninsula was Cyclone Phet, which hit eastern Oman back in 2010. In addition to

Tropical cyclone Chapala had entered the Gulf Of Aden when the GPM core Observatory satellite passed over on November 2, 1015 at 0311 UTC. Chapala still had maximum sustained winds estimated at about 105kts (121 mph) making it a category three tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) found that Chapala was dropping rainfall at a rate of over 65 mm (2.6 inches) per hour in intense storms southwest of Chapala's well defined eye. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) predicts that Chapala will weaken before landfall. Chapala is expected to have

Powerful tropical cyclone Chapala continues moving inexorably toward Yemen. Chapala has weakened from category four intensity a couple days ago while maintaining a course that steers it toward Yemen. The GPM core observatory satellite had a good look at tropical cyclone Chapala on October 31, 2015 at 0331 UTC. GPM's rainfall data are shown overlaid on a 0330Z METEOSAT-7 Visible/Infrared image. At that time Chapala was a very powerful tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of about 117 kts (135 mph). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument measured rain dropping at a rate of over 88 mm

Tropical Cyclone Chapala developed in the very warm waters of the Arabian Sea west of India on October 28, 2015. These images show rainfall derived from data collected by GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments. The GPM core observatory satellite had good views of the tropical cyclone on October 29, 2015 at 0332 and 1456 UTC. GPM's rainfall from the first pass show that Chapala was close to hurricane intensity with the location of a developing eye clearly shown by GMI. By the second pass Chapala's maximum sustained winds were estimated at 65 kts