Applications

Rain Patterns During the Alaska Wildfires
NASA's satellite-based estimate of global precipitation can provide valuable information to officials monitoring the many wildfires in Alaska this summer. Wildfires occur in Alaska each summer, but July 2019 is shaping up to be a particularly active month. Few rain gauges exist in the large tracts of Alaskan wilderness, but wildfires unchecked can spread to populated areas within the state. Satellite-based precipitation estimates are particularly valuable here because of precipitation's relationship to wildfire hazard. The movie shows NASA's IMERG precipitation estimates for May 1 through July...

Hurricane Barry Makes Landfall in Louisiana

UPDATE 7/17/19: This GPM IMERG animation shows rainfall accumulations from #HurricaneBarry in the Gulf of Mexico from July 11-16, 2019. Learn more: https://t.co/1QjFLDbD0k pic.twitter.com/CC7J0AsSTW — NASA Precipitation (@NASARain) July 17, 2019 This 6-day animation shows the heavy precipitation that Hurricane Barry (2019) producing from July 11 to 16 in the Gulf of Mexico and the South Central U.S. While forecasters were initially concerned that the largest accumulations would extend far over land, this animation shows that the largest accumulations remained mostly off shore. The

GPM Sees Developing Tropical Storm Barry in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA / JAXA’s GPM Core Observatory passed over developing Tropical Depression 2 (which was upgraded to Tropical Storm Barry later in the morning) in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of July 11th 2019 at 8:26am CT, capturing estimates of rainfall rates within the storm. The first image shows rainfall rates collected by GPM’s Microwave Imager, while the second image shows 3D rainfall rates within the atmospheric column from GPM’s Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). The DPR measured storm top heights as high as 18 km, which is extremely high and indicative of intense thunderstorm activity

GPM Flies Over Flooding Rainfall in Washington DC

Washington DC experienced extreme rainfall the morning of July 8th, 2019 when a cluster of slow-moving thunderstorms moving through the area tapped into a very moist airmass to produce extremely heavy rains, which resulted in flash flooding throughout the region. The storms were triggered by a nearby frontal boundary. The GPM Core Observatory passed over this storm system at 8:51am ET, with its Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar measuring rainfall rates in excess of 100 mm/hr in some areas. Reagan National Airport (DCA) also reported receiving 80 mm of rainfall in one hour, corroborating the
5 Year Anniversary of Hurricane Arthur
TRMM overpass of Hurricane Arthur from July 3, 2014. View fullscreen in STORM Event Viewer June marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. And although strong tropical cyclones are rare in June in the Atlantic, it will soon be the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Arthur, which became a tropical depression in very late June 2014 before hitting the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane in early July. As with most storms early in the season, Arthur formed not from a tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa but from an old frontal boundary that stalls off the...
2019 Hurricane Season Banner
NASA has a unique and important view of hurricanes around the planet. Satellites and aircraft watch as storms form, travel across the ocean and sometimes, make landfall. After the hurricanes have passed, the satellites and aircraft see the aftermath of hurricanes, from downed forests to mass power loss.
Using GPM Data to Understand Hurricanes
The 2019 Atlantic "hurricane season" is officially upon us and runs through November 30th. Did you know that GPM data play a fundamental role in the ability to monitor existing storm activity such as capturing the location and intensity of rainfall inside a storm, as well as improving weather and precipitation forecasts through assimilation of instantaneous precipitation information? Here are a few applications of GPM data used to study hurricanes and how the data was then used for decision-making. Monitoring Irma with GPM This image shows rainfall analysis that was derived from GPM's GMI data...

GPM Flies Over Developing Tropical Storm Idai Twice

Intense Tropical Cyclone Idai started as a tropical depression on the 4th of March, 2019, off the coast of Mozambique. After making landfall over Mozambique it turned back over the Mozambique Channel and strengthened to become a tropical cyclone on the 10th of March. The GPM satellite captured the cyclone with both the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on the 11th of March at 04:36 UTC when the storm was in the middle on the Mozambique Channel. The DPR captured a well-developed eye, seen at the center of the image. It flew over the storm once again at
GPM Applications: Weather
Using GPM Data for Weather, Climate, and Land Surface Modeling Variations in rain, snow, and other forms of precipitation are an integral part in everyday weather and long term climate trends. Initialization of short-term weather and long-term climate models with accurate precipitation information enhances their prediction skills and extends their skillful lead times. To get the resolution and temporal coverage to measure precipitation across the globe, we often rely on satellite information. Satellite data can play a fundamental role in our ability to monitor and predict weather systems as
GPM Applications: Water & Agriculture
Growing human population, increased demand for water and energy, and a changing climate have contributed to concerns of how freshwater resources and food supply and production may be stressed. Both water resource managers and the agricultural community need to know the amount, distribution, timing and onset of seasonal rain and snow to prepare for freshwater shortages and forecast crop yields. Remotely sensed precipitation estimates play a key role in predicting changes in freshwater supply and agricultural forecasting. Specifically, GPM provides advance precipitation measurements on regional