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Tropical Cyclone and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
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Rare South Atlantic Tropical
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| Title |
Rare South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone |
| Description |
(blue areas) with only a few, localized areas of moderate intensity rain (green areas). The next image (top right) taken over two days later at 12:01 UTC on the 26th shows that the storm had become much better organized with an eye apparent in the IR data. A long rainband continues to spiral out from the center extending well out ahead of system as it continues to track off to the west. The PR did not pass over the center in this image, but the TMI indicates a broad, but weak, area of rainfall south of the center. The third image (bottom left) was taken less than a day later at 06:11 UTC on the 27th. The storm now has a clearly defined eye in the IR data, and this time the PR passes directly over the center revealing a nearly complete eyewall with mostly moderate intensity rain (green area) in the southern portion and well-defined spiral banding in the rainfield surrounding the eye with a couple of localized areas of heavy (red areas) rainfall. An estimate by the AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sensor Unit) satellite put the storm's central pressure at 979 mb, equivalent to a minimal Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The final images (bottom right and link) were taken at 11:00 UTC on the 27th of March as the storm was nearing the coast of southern Brazil. It now has a large, well-defined eye and a complete eyewall though rainrates in the eyewall are not particularly intense. The IR image also shows that the storm has a well-developed outflow pattern as cirrus clouds extend out to the west and south of the center. The final image shows a vertical slice through the center. It reveals mainly moderate intensity (yellow areas) rain with an embedded area of heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall. A single area of intense rain (darker red area) appears in an outer rainband east of the center. For additional images, please visit the TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] web site. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Since the beginning of the satellite era in the mid-1960's, no hurricane has ever been observed in the South Atlantic according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. But on Sunday morning, March 28th, 2004, a storm struck the Brazilian coast that may have changed all of that as forecasters believe it to be the first hurricane ever recorded in that region of the world. The unnamed storm made landfall near the town of Torres just south of the resort town of Laguna in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, about 500 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. There were reports of winds as high as 100 kph (62 mph) in the area. So far reports indicate that 2 persons were killed by the storm with 500 homes destroyed and 20,000 homes damaged leaving 1500 people homeless. The search also goes on for 11 fisherman missing at sea after their 2 boats sank in 13-foot seas off the coast. There is some debate, however, as to whether this storm was actually a true hurricane. Typically, strong wind shear in this part of the South Atlantic makes conditions unfavorable for tropical storm development. However, as has often been seen in the North Atlantic, extratropical systems that move over warm waters can become transformed into tropical systems and take on tropical characteristics. This storm appears to have originated as an extratropical low that moved off the Brazilian coast on the 20th that then became "cutoff", meaning it became separated from the the main air flow, on the 22nd of March. Sea surface temperatures were in the mid-70s (in degrees Fahrenheit), about the minimum needed for tropical storm formation. Meteorologists refer to tropical low pressure centers as warm cores because the air in the center of the circulation is warmer then the surrounding environmental air. Extratropical cyclones are typically cold core. The Brazilian weather service believes that the storm was extratropical in nature. As such a storm had thus far never been recorded in that area, there were no aircraft available to study the storm, leaving satellites to do the job of estimating its strength and structure. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite is designed to measure rainfall over the global tropics using the combination of a microwave sensor and the first and only precipitation radar in space. TRMM was able to capture several unique images of the storm as it made its way through the South Atlantic. The first image (top left) was taken at 12:13 UTC on 24 March 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). It shows a comma-shaped cloud pattern indicative of an area of low pressure, but there is no indication of an eye and rain rates are mostly weak |
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Rare South Atlantic Tropical
…
| Title |
Rare South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone |
| Description |
(blue areas) with only a few, localized areas of moderate intensity rain (green areas). The next image (top right) taken over two days later at 12:01 UTC on the 26th shows that the storm had become much better organized with an eye apparent in the IR data. A long rainband continues to spiral out from the center extending well out ahead of system as it continues to track off to the west. The PR did not pass over the center in this image, but the TMI indicates a broad, but weak, area of rainfall south of the center. The third image (bottom left) was taken less than a day later at 06:11 UTC on the 27th. The storm now has a clearly defined eye in the IR data, and this time the PR passes directly over the center revealing a nearly complete eyewall with mostly moderate intensity rain (green area) in the southern portion and well-defined spiral banding in the rainfield surrounding the eye with a couple of localized areas of heavy (red areas) rainfall. An estimate by the AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sensor Unit) satellite put the storm's central pressure at 979 mb, equivalent to a minimal Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The final images (bottom right and link) were taken at 11:00 UTC on the 27th of March as the storm was nearing the coast of southern Brazil. It now has a large, well-defined eye and a complete eyewall though rainrates in the eyewall are not particularly intense. The IR image also shows that the storm has a well-developed outflow pattern as cirrus clouds extend out to the west and south of the center. The final image shows a vertical slice through the center. It reveals mainly moderate intensity (yellow areas) rain with an embedded area of heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall. A single area of intense rain (darker red area) appears in an outer rainband east of the center. For additional images, please visit the TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] web site. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Since the beginning of the satellite era in the mid-1960's, no hurricane has ever been observed in the South Atlantic according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. But on Sunday morning, March 28th, 2004, a storm struck the Brazilian coast that may have changed all of that as forecasters believe it to be the first hurricane ever recorded in that region of the world. The unnamed storm made landfall near the town of Torres just south of the resort town of Laguna in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, about 500 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. There were reports of winds as high as 100 kph (62 mph) in the area. So far reports indicate that 2 persons were killed by the storm with 500 homes destroyed and 20,000 homes damaged leaving 1500 people homeless. The search also goes on for 11 fisherman missing at sea after their 2 boats sank in 13-foot seas off the coast. There is some debate, however, as to whether this storm was actually a true hurricane. Typically, strong wind shear in this part of the South Atlantic makes conditions unfavorable for tropical storm development. However, as has often been seen in the North Atlantic, extratropical systems that move over warm waters can become transformed into tropical systems and take on tropical characteristics. This storm appears to have originated as an extratropical low that moved off the Brazilian coast on the 20th that then became "cutoff", meaning it became separated from the the main air flow, on the 22nd of March. Sea surface temperatures were in the mid-70s (in degrees Fahrenheit), about the minimum needed for tropical storm formation. Meteorologists refer to tropical low pressure centers as warm cores because the air in the center of the circulation is warmer then the surrounding environmental air. Extratropical cyclones are typically cold core. The Brazilian weather service believes that the storm was extratropical in nature. As such a storm had thus far never been recorded in that area, there were no aircraft available to study the storm, leaving satellites to do the job of estimating its strength and structure. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite is designed to measure rainfall over the global tropics using the combination of a microwave sensor and the first and only precipitation radar in space. TRMM was able to capture several unique images of the storm as it made its way through the South Atlantic. The first image (top left) was taken at 12:13 UTC on 24 March 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). It shows a comma-shaped cloud pattern indicative of an area of low pressure, but there is no indication of an eye and rain rates are mostly weak |
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Tropical Cyclone 01A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01A |
| Description |
Cyclone 01A hovered just off the west coast of India this past week slowly drifting parallel to the coastline without coming ashore. It began as a weak depression that formed on the 4th of May 2004 about 200 km east of the southwest coast of India in the Laccadive Sea. The system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day on the 5th with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 7th and 8th, the stormed reached its peak intensity of just 45 knots (52 mph) before weakening back into a depression on the 10th. The storm was responsible for 5 deaths in India from heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several images of the cyclone as it drifted northward in the western Indian Ocean. The first image taken at 21:25 UTC on 5 May 2004 shows rainfall within the storm as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This first image shows that the rain field associated with the storm is very asymmetrical with almost all of the rain falling west of the center, which lacks an eyewall, a characteristic of immature or weaker systems. Several patches of intense rain (darker reds) are embedded within a broad shield of moderate (green) to light rain (blue). The second image taken at 11:20 UTC on the 7th shows the system has not become any better organized. The area of heavy rain (dark red) is consolidated into one band, but there is still no evidence of an eyewall. In the final snapshot at 11:07 UTC on the 9th, the center is now completely devoid of rainfall without which the storm cannot survive as tropical cyclones rely on heat released from the conversion of water vapor to fuel their circulations. This image does reveal that the system is still capable of producing heavy rains over land well away from the center as shown by the dark red areas over the coastline. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The last image gives MPA rainfall totals for the period 3-11 May 2004 associated with the passage of the cyclone. The highest amounts on the order of 12 inches fell over water (dark red areas). However, some coastal areas in the state of Gujarat did receive up to 9 inches locally (red areas) with several areas receiving between 3 and 6 inches (green areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 01A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01A |
| Description |
Cyclone 01A hovered just off the west coast of India this past week slowly drifting parallel to the coastline without coming ashore. It began as a weak depression that formed on the 4th of May 2004 about 200 km east of the southwest coast of India in the Laccadive Sea. The system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day on the 5th with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 7th and 8th, the stormed reached its peak intensity of just 45 knots (52 mph) before weakening back into a depression on the 10th. The storm was responsible for 5 deaths in India from heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several images of the cyclone as it drifted northward in the western Indian Ocean. The first image taken at 21:25 UTC on 5 May 2004 shows rainfall within the storm as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This first image shows that the rain field associated with the storm is very asymmetrical with almost all of the rain falling west of the center, which lacks an eyewall, a characteristic of immature or weaker systems. Several patches of intense rain (darker reds) are embedded within a broad shield of moderate (green) to light rain (blue). The second image taken at 11:20 UTC on the 7th shows the system has not become any better organized. The area of heavy rain (dark red) is consolidated into one band, but there is still no evidence of an eyewall. In the final snapshot at 11:07 UTC on the 9th, the center is now completely devoid of rainfall without which the storm cannot survive as tropical cyclones rely on heat released from the conversion of water vapor to fuel their circulations. This image does reveal that the system is still capable of producing heavy rains over land well away from the center as shown by the dark red areas over the coastline. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The last image gives MPA rainfall totals for the period 3-11 May 2004 associated with the passage of the cyclone. The highest amounts on the order of 12 inches fell over water (dark red areas). However, some coastal areas in the state of Gujarat did receive up to 9 inches locally (red areas) with several areas receiving between 3 and 6 inches (green areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 01A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01A |
| Description |
Cyclone 01A hovered just off the west coast of India this past week slowly drifting parallel to the coastline without coming ashore. It began as a weak depression that formed on the 4th of May 2004 about 200 km east of the southwest coast of India in the Laccadive Sea. The system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day on the 5th with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 7th and 8th, the stormed reached its peak intensity of just 45 knots (52 mph) before weakening back into a depression on the 10th. The storm was responsible for 5 deaths in India from heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several images of the cyclone as it drifted northward in the western Indian Ocean. The first image taken at 21:25 UTC on 5 May 2004 shows rainfall within the storm as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This first image shows that the rain field associated with the storm is very asymmetrical with almost all of the rain falling west of the center, which lacks an eyewall, a characteristic of immature or weaker systems. Several patches of intense rain (darker reds) are embedded within a broad shield of moderate (green) to light rain (blue). The second image taken at 11:20 UTC on the 7th shows the system has not become any better organized. The area of heavy rain (dark red) is consolidated into one band, but there is still no evidence of an eyewall. In the final snapshot at 11:07 UTC on the 9th, the center is now completely devoid of rainfall without which the storm cannot survive as tropical cyclones rely on heat released from the conversion of water vapor to fuel their circulations. This image does reveal that the system is still capable of producing heavy rains over land well away from the center as shown by the dark red areas over the coastline. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The last image gives MPA rainfall totals for the period 3-11 May 2004 associated with the passage of the cyclone. The highest amounts on the order of 12 inches fell over water (dark red areas). However, some coastal areas in the state of Gujarat did receive up to 9 inches locally (red areas) with several areas receiving between 3 and 6 inches (green areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 01A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01A |
| Description |
Cyclone 01A hovered just off the west coast of India this past week slowly drifting parallel to the coastline without coming ashore. It began as a weak depression that formed on the 4th of May 2004 about 200 km east of the southwest coast of India in the Laccadive Sea. The system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day on the 5th with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 7th and 8th, the stormed reached its peak intensity of just 45 knots (52 mph) before weakening back into a depression on the 10th. The storm was responsible for 5 deaths in India from heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several images of the cyclone as it drifted northward in the western Indian Ocean. The first image taken at 21:25 UTC on 5 May 2004 shows rainfall within the storm as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This first image shows that the rain field associated with the storm is very asymmetrical with almost all of the rain falling west of the center, which lacks an eyewall, a characteristic of immature or weaker systems. Several patches of intense rain (darker reds) are embedded within a broad shield of moderate (green) to light rain (blue). The second image taken at 11:20 UTC on the 7th shows the system has not become any better organized. The area of heavy rain (dark red) is consolidated into one band, but there is still no evidence of an eyewall. In the final snapshot at 11:07 UTC on the 9th, the center is now completely devoid of rainfall without which the storm cannot survive as tropical cyclones rely on heat released from the conversion of water vapor to fuel their circulations. This image does reveal that the system is still capable of producing heavy rains over land well away from the center as shown by the dark red areas over the coastline. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The last image gives MPA rainfall totals for the period 3-11 May 2004 associated with the passage of the cyclone. The highest amounts on the order of 12 inches fell over water (dark red areas). However, some coastal areas in the state of Gujarat did receive up to 9 inches locally (red areas) with several areas receiving between 3 and 6 inches (green areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 01B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01B |
| Description |
During the past few days (May 15-19, 2003) Tropical Cyclone 01B developed in the Indian Ocean and achieved hurricane status for a few hours. However, the storm has produced copious amounts of rainfall leading to a large loss of life in Sri Lanka. The heavy rain accumulation, exceeding nine inches, is shown in the accompanying image. The rain accumulation map was produced using the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA's TRMM or Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission features a spaceborne weather radar built by the Japanese space agency NASDA. In operation for five years, TRMM has provided unprecedented views of tropical rain events around the globe, and now also provides information on flash flood potential (accessed by visiting the TRMM website at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov). In this image, note the huge rainfall footprint produced by Tropical Cyclone 01B as it intensified over the Bay of Bengal. At first, it would appear that the isolated rainfall pocket located over Sri Lanka bears little relation to the burgeoning tropical storm. However, there is evidence to suggest that the rainstorms that deluged Sri Lanka were associated with an outer "feeder band" of moisture entering the tropical cyclone from the southwest. This image was generated by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
TROPICAL CYCLONE HITS EAST COAST OF INDIA A tropical cyclone (03B) with winds reported of up to 75 mph hit the east coast of India just after midnight local time on the 16th of December 2003. At least 11 people perished in the storm, which brought heavy rains to the region. The cyclone formed in the southern part of the Bay of Bengal. It then moved steadily northwestward before coming ashore at the port city of Vishakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite obtained this image of the cyclone just as the center was approaching the coastline. The image was taken at 12:00 UTC on 15 December 2003. It shows the cyclone's rainfall distribution from above as seen by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) in the inner swath and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) in the outer swath overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) in white. A localized area of intense rain appears near the center in red. However, most of the rainfall is moderate in intensity (green areas) with rain rates on the order of 10 to 20 mm/hr and occurs north of the center. The VIRS data reveal the storm's cirrus shield to be symmetrical with broad outflow, meaning that it was not being inhibited by atmospheric wind shear. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
TROPICAL CYCLONE HITS EAST COAST OF INDIA A tropical cyclone (03B) with winds reported of up to 75 mph hit the east coast of India just after midnight local time on the 16th of December 2003. At least 11 people perished in the storm, which brought heavy rains to the region. The cyclone formed in the southern part of the Bay of Bengal. It then moved steadily northwestward before coming ashore at the port city of Vishakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite obtained this image of the cyclone just as the center was approaching the coastline. The image was taken at 12:00 UTC on 15 December 2003. It shows the cyclone's rainfall distribution from above as seen by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) in the inner swath and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) in the outer swath overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) in white. A localized area of intense rain appears near the center in red. However, most of the rainfall is moderate in intensity (green areas) with rain rates on the order of 10 to 20 mm/hr and occurs north of the center. The VIRS data reveal the storm's cirrus shield to be symmetrical with broad outflow, meaning that it was not being inhibited by atmospheric wind shear. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Ami
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ami |
| Description |
Cyclone Ami was born in south Pacific waters as part of a vigorous "twin cyclone" system straddling the equator. Twin cyclones are occasionally spawned by the Tropical Intraseasonal Oscillation as it moves eastward out of the Indian Ocean and toward the International Dateline. This image of the central Pacific shows the rain accumulation from these two cyclones. The long trail of heavy rain oriented from north to south was produced by Cyclone Ami. The northern vortex of the pair, yet to be assigned an official name, was being monitored for development as it moves into the open waters of the northwestern Pacific. This TRMM image and those of other extreme events can be found at the TRMM website trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. Image visualization courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Ami
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ami |
| Description |
This dramatic image captures the narrow swath of heavy rain deposited by Tropical Cyclone Ami in the southwestern Pacific. The image was created using data from the NASA/NASDA Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and other rainfall measuring satellites. Tropical Cyclone Ami passed through the Fiji Island chain and caused extensive damage from flooding rains, high winds and storm surge. This seven day accumulation shows that nearly 20 inches of rain fell along portions of the storm track (dark red areas). The cyclone was the worst storm to strike Fiji since 1987. The animations below show a seven-day rain accumulation beginning January 7 and ending January 14, 2003. *animations* ÿÿsmall (1.3 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/ami.qt ] (2.8 MB MPEG) This TRMM image and those of other extreme events can be found at the TRMM website trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. Image visualization courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Ami
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ami |
| Description |
This dramatic image captures the narrow swath of heavy rain deposited by Tropical Cyclone Ami in the southwestern Pacific. The image was created using data from the NASA/NASDA Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and other rainfall measuring satellites. Tropical Cyclone Ami passed through the Fiji Island chain and caused extensive damage from flooding rains, high winds and storm surge. This seven day accumulation shows that nearly 20 inches of rain fell along portions of the storm track (dark red areas). The cyclone was the worst storm to strike Fiji since 1987. The animations below show a seven-day rain accumulation beginning January 7 and ending January 14, 2003. *animations* ÿÿsmall (1.3 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/ami.qt ] (2.8 MB MPEG) This TRMM image and those of other extreme events can be found at the TRMM website trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. Image visualization courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
| Description |
This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
| Description |
This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
| Description |
This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S) |
| Description |
Tropical cyclone Elita (9S) formed just off the west coast of the island of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel on 26 January 2004 as a minimal tropical storm with winds estimated at around 40 mph by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Elita then slowly meandered towards the northeast along the coastline of Madagascar before turning southeast and coming ashore on the 29th near the coastal town of Mahajanga on the northwestern coast of Madagascar. One person was reported killed by the storm and numerous houses and buildings were destroyed in the town. The first image was captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and shows Elita just off the northwest coast of Madagascar. The image was taken at 3:42 UTC on 28 January 2004. At the time of the image, Elita's strength was still only estimated to be near 40 mph though the next advisory later on the 28th put the maximum estimated sustained winds to be near 70 mph. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows that Elita is not well organized having an open eye structure with the heaviest rain rates of 2 inches per hour (dark red areas) occurring in a rainband away from the center. Still there are ample areas of moderate rainfall associated with Elita (green areas) with embedded areas of heavier rain (smaller orange areas) to generate substantial amounts of rainfall especially when combined with the slow forward speed of the storm. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The second image shows MPA rainfall totals for the period 23-29 January, 2004. It reveals that coastal areas of northwestern Madagascar may have received upwards of 2 feet of rain (dark red areas) as a result of Elita. These copious rain totals extend all the way across the Mozambique Channel to the eastern coastline of Mozambique. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S) |
| Description |
Tropical cyclone Elita (9S) formed just off the west coast of the island of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel on 26 January 2004 as a minimal tropical storm with winds estimated at around 40 mph by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Elita then slowly meandered towards the northeast along the coastline of Madagascar before turning southeast and coming ashore on the 29th near the coastal town of Mahajanga on the northwestern coast of Madagascar. One person was reported killed by the storm and numerous houses and buildings were destroyed in the town. The first image was captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and shows Elita just off the northwest coast of Madagascar. The image was taken at 3:42 UTC on 28 January 2004. At the time of the image, Elita's strength was still only estimated to be near 40 mph though the next advisory later on the 28th put the maximum estimated sustained winds to be near 70 mph. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows that Elita is not well organized having an open eye structure with the heaviest rain rates of 2 inches per hour (dark red areas) occurring in a rainband away from the center. Still there are ample areas of moderate rainfall associated with Elita (green areas) with embedded areas of heavier rain (smaller orange areas) to generate substantial amounts of rainfall especially when combined with the slow forward speed of the storm. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The second image shows MPA rainfall totals for the period 23-29 January, 2004. It reveals that coastal areas of northwestern Madagascar may have received upwards of 2 feet of rain (dark red areas) as a result of Elita. These copious rain totals extend all the way across the Mozambique Channel to the eastern coastline of Mozambique. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S) |
| Description |
Having formed just off the west coast of the island of Madagascar on the 26th of January 2004, Tropical cyclone Elita (9S) then came ashore on the 29th near the coastal town of Mahajanga on the northwest coast. Elita then moved southwest parallel to the coast line before drifting back out over the Mozambique Channel on the 1st of February. Elita strengthened into a minimal category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 75 mph by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on the 2nd. The system then came ashore again on the western coastline of Madagascar near the town of Morondava before moving southeast across the island on the 3rd and exiting on the east coast. Four more people were reported killed as a result of Elita coming ashore for the second time and many thousands were reported to be left homeless. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image of Elita just after it had made landfall for the second time. The image was taken at 1:33 UTC on 3 February 2004. Rain rates are shown in the center swath from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first radar of its kind in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM reveals that the rainfall pattern around Elita is very asymmetrical. Almost all of the rain close to the center is on the right-hand side. Only a very localized area of intense rain is observed near the center (small red spot) with most of the rain being moderate (green) to light (blue) in intensity. There is still good banding evident in the rain field associated with the storm's circulation. Heavy rain rates (darker reds) are present in an outer rainband to the north. The second image is a vertical slice as seen from the west through the storm showing the location of the heavier rain rates (darker reds) near the center and in the outer rainbands. The fact that Elita hovered for many days near the same area resulted in copious amounts of rainfall. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi- satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The last image shows MPA rainfall totals for the period 27 January to 3 February, 2004. It shows areas of rainfall exceeding 20 inches (darker reds) for the period all along the western coastline of Madagascar that also extend across the Mozambique Channel to the east coast of Mozambique. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fari
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fari |
| Description |
On January 28, 2003, Tropical Cyclone Fari brought extensive flooding rains to the east coast of Madagascar. While not an especially powerful storm, the rains have added disastrously to floodwaters created by unusually heavy seasonal rains received during the past two weeks. Since early January, portions of the country have been inundated by 20-24 inches of rain, as shown on the accompanying image. This is twice the expected rainfall amount for a "normal" January. In this image, rainfall accumulation was obtained from a technique which combines the rainfall measured by NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite along with other satellite information. Madagascar is a mountainous country that has been heavily deforested and is surrounded by an unlimited moisture supply. These factors contribute to deadly mudslides and floodwater runoff during periods of heavy rainfall.*animations* ÿÿsmall (1.8 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/madagascar.qt ] (4.2 MB MPEG) This TRMM image and those of other extreme events can be found at the TRMM website trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fari
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fari |
| Description |
On January 28, 2003, Tropical Cyclone Fari brought extensive flooding rains to the east coast of Madagascar. While not an especially powerful storm, the rains have added disastrously to floodwaters created by unusually heavy seasonal rains received during the past two weeks. Since early January, portions of the country have been inundated by 20-24 inches of rain, as shown on the accompanying image. This is twice the expected rainfall amount for a "normal" January. In this image, rainfall accumulation was obtained from a technique which combines the rainfall measured by NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite along with other satellite information. Madagascar is a mountainous country that has been heavily deforested and is surrounded by an unlimited moisture supply. These factors contribute to deadly mudslides and floodwater runoff during periods of heavy rainfall.*animations* ÿÿsmall (1.8 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/madagascar.qt ] (4.2 MB MPEG) This TRMM image and those of other extreme events can be found at the TRMM website trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
) satellite on February 20 and February 22, 2007. TRMM was placed into its low-earth orbit in November 1997 to measure rainfall from space, however, it has also served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. The images show the rainfall intensity. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM shows that Favio was a well-organized storm on February 20 (top) with a central eye (dark blue area in the center) surrounded by an eyewall containing heavy rainfall (dark red areas). The storm is also very symmetric with good "banding" in the rain field, demonstrated by the tightly curved bands of moderate rain (green areas) spiraling in towards the center. These features are the hallmarks of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Though the cyclone did not strike Madagascar, the red areas indicate that it dumped heavy rains on the southern tip of the island. As Favio crossed the Mozambique Channel it reached a peak intensity of 232 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour, or 125 knots) on the early morning of February 22, making it a Category 4 storm. The cyclone then weakened slightly before slamming into southern Mozambique with sustained winds estimated at 204 km/hr (127 mph, 110 knots). TRMM took the lower image on February 22 soon after Favio made landfall in Mozambique. The image shows that although the eye was not as well defined as in the earlier image, the circulation is still robust, the spiral rainbands (green arcs) are still well defined. Maximum sustained winds were still estimated to be 167 km/hr (114 mph, 90 knots) at the time of this image but quickly diminished thereafter. The bands of heavy rain shown in this image triggered floods [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14146 ] along rivers in Central Mozambique. Unfortunately for Mozambique, the storm-induced floods follow additional serious flooding on the Zambezi River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14125 ] to the north. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., These images track Cyclone Favio as it brushed the southern tip of the island of Madagascar, and then continued on to Mozambique. The storm came ashore over southern Mozambique on February 22, 2007, as a strong Category 3 storm. As of February 28, news reports had attributed four fatalities to the storm in Vilanculos, a coastal tourist town where the storm made landfall. Favio began as a tropical disturbance on February 11, 2007, in the central Indian Ocean south of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Slow to intensify, the system finally became a tropical storm three days later on February 14. Favio remained a tropical storm for the next several days as it made its way through the west-central Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, and finally began to intensify as it neared Madagascar. It became a Category 1 cyclone on February 19. As it rounded the southern tip of Madagascar, Favio continued to intensify and reached Category 3 intensity on February 20. The cyclone then took a more northwesterly path as it entered the Mozambique Channel. These images of the storm were taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
) satellite on February 20 and February 22, 2007. TRMM was placed into its low-earth orbit in November 1997 to measure rainfall from space, however, it has also served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. The images show the rainfall intensity. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM shows that Favio was a well-organized storm on February 20 (top) with a central eye (dark blue area in the center) surrounded by an eyewall containing heavy rainfall (dark red areas). The storm is also very symmetric with good "banding" in the rain field, demonstrated by the tightly curved bands of moderate rain (green areas) spiraling in towards the center. These features are the hallmarks of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Though the cyclone did not strike Madagascar, the red areas indicate that it dumped heavy rains on the southern tip of the island. As Favio crossed the Mozambique Channel it reached a peak intensity of 232 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour, or 125 knots) on the early morning of February 22, making it a Category 4 storm. The cyclone then weakened slightly before slamming into southern Mozambique with sustained winds estimated at 204 km/hr (127 mph, 110 knots). TRMM took the lower image on February 22 soon after Favio made landfall in Mozambique. The image shows that although the eye was not as well defined as in the earlier image, the circulation is still robust, the spiral rainbands (green arcs) are still well defined. Maximum sustained winds were still estimated to be 167 km/hr (114 mph, 90 knots) at the time of this image but quickly diminished thereafter. The bands of heavy rain shown in this image triggered floods [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14146 ] along rivers in Central Mozambique. Unfortunately for Mozambique, the storm-induced floods follow additional serious flooding on the Zambezi River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14125 ] to the north. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., These images track Cyclone Favio as it brushed the southern tip of the island of Madagascar, and then continued on to Mozambique. The storm came ashore over southern Mozambique on February 22, 2007, as a strong Category 3 storm. As of February 28, news reports had attributed four fatalities to the storm in Vilanculos, a coastal tourist town where the storm made landfall. Favio began as a tropical disturbance on February 11, 2007, in the central Indian Ocean south of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Slow to intensify, the system finally became a tropical storm three days later on February 14. Favio remained a tropical storm for the next several days as it made its way through the west-central Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, and finally began to intensify as it neared Madagascar. It became a Category 1 cyclone on February 19. As it rounded the southern tip of Madagascar, Favio continued to intensify and reached Category 3 intensity on February 20. The cyclone then took a more northwesterly path as it entered the Mozambique Channel. These images of the storm were taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay first developed into a tropical depression on the 16th of March 2004 in the Timor Sea west of Bathurst Island off the northern coast of Australia. Just twelve hours after becoming a depression, Fay became a named tropical storm with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph). From there, the system took a general west southwestward track parallel to the northwestern coastline of Australia. On the 18th of March, Fay was upgraded to a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). Fay then continued to steadily gain in strength becoming a Category 2 cyclone on the 19th, a Category 3 cyclone on the 20th, and a powerful Category 4 cyclone on the 21st with maximum sustained winds reaching an estimated 120 knots (138 mph). Fay is expected now to take a more southerly track ahead of an advancing trough and threaten the coast of Western Australia. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has monitored the development of Fay capturing several unique images of the storm as it grew into a major cyclone. The first image (top left) was taken at 21:11 UTC on 17 March 2004 (5:11 am Australian WST 18 March). It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of this first image, Fay was still a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph). TRMM reveals that the storm is still organizing with no evidence of an eye. However, a sizeable area of intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (darker red area) exists near the center of circulation, and the heating generated from this rainfall can help to drive the storm's circulation and make it stronger. The next image taken over a day later at 06:05 UTC on the 19th (top right) shows that Fay had become much better organized. The banding evident in the moderate intensity rain field (green arcs) is more pronounced, and an eye has started to form in the southeast portion of the main rain area. An area of intense rain rates (darker reds) is embedded in the northwest quadrant of the eyewall. Fay was at the time a Category 1 cyclone with sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph). The last two images were taken at 20:00 UTC on March 20. Fay was now a Category 3 cyclone with sustained winds of 100 knots (115 mph). The eye of the storm is now readily apparent with moderate (green) to heavy (red) rain rates in the northern, western and southern portions of the eyewall. The final image (bottom right) shows a vertical slice through the center of Fay. It shows the heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall as well as intense rain (dark reds) associated with deep convection (vertical blue/green tower) in an outer, rainband well west of the center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay first developed into a tropical depression on the 16th of March 2004 in the Timor Sea west of Bathurst Island off the northern coast of Australia. Just twelve hours after becoming a depression, Fay became a named tropical storm with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph). From there, the system took a general west southwestward track parallel to the northwestern coastline of Australia. On the 18th of March, Fay was upgraded to a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). Fay then continued to steadily gain in strength becoming a Category 2 cyclone on the 19th, a Category 3 cyclone on the 20th, and a powerful Category 4 cyclone on the 21st with maximum sustained winds reaching an estimated 120 knots (138 mph). Fay is expected now to take a more southerly track ahead of an advancing trough and threaten the coast of Western Australia. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has monitored the development of Fay capturing several unique images of the storm as it grew into a major cyclone. The first image (top left) was taken at 21:11 UTC on 17 March 2004 (5:11 am Australian WST 18 March). It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of this first image, Fay was still a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph). TRMM reveals that the storm is still organizing with no evidence of an eye. However, a sizeable area of intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (darker red area) exists near the center of circulation, and the heating generated from this rainfall can help to drive the storm's circulation and make it stronger. The next image taken over a day later at 06:05 UTC on the 19th (top right) shows that Fay had become much better organized. The banding evident in the moderate intensity rain field (green arcs) is more pronounced, and an eye has started to form in the southeast portion of the main rain area. An area of intense rain rates (darker reds) is embedded in the northwest quadrant of the eyewall. Fay was at the time a Category 1 cyclone with sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph). The last two images were taken at 20:00 UTC on March 20. Fay was now a Category 3 cyclone with sustained winds of 100 knots (115 mph). The eye of the storm is now readily apparent with moderate (green) to heavy (red) rain rates in the northern, western and southern portions of the eyewall. The final image (bottom right) shows a vertical slice through the center of Fay. It shows the heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall as well as intense rain (dark reds) associated with deep convection (vertical blue/green tower) in an outer, rainband well west of the center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fritz
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fritz |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fritz first formed into a tropical cyclone on 10 February 2004 in the Coral Sea east of Queensland, Australia. The storm then came ashore on the morning of the 11th (LST) as a minimal cyclone along the northeast coastline of Queensland just north of Cape Melville. Most of the rainfall with Fritz was away from the center near Weipa to the north and Cairns to the south. The system weakened into a tropical depression over land and continued moving westward cutting across the Cape York Peninsula before re-emerging over the waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It then re-intensified back into a Category 1 cyclone on the 12th. Fritz's circulation, however, was too disrupted over land to have time to get too well organized and thus allow for significant strengthening. However, it did manage to reach Category 2 status with peak wind gusts exceeding 125 kph (75 mph) before crossing Mornington Island in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Fritz then made landfall again on the far northwest coast of Queensland. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these unique images of Cyclone Fritz while it was in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. The images were taken at 14:18 UTC on 11 February 2004 (12:18 am Australian EST 12 February 2004). At the time, Fritz was categorized as a Category 1 cyclone by the Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre with peak wind gusts of less then 125 kph (75 mph). The first image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). Fritz is shown to have a poorly organized circulation with no discernable eyewall. At this time only small, isolated areas of heavy rainfall are present (dark red spots). Tropical cyclones need the heat that is released when water vapor condenses into the cloud droplets that form the precipitation to drive the storm. This process is most efficient when the storm is well-organized and the heating takes place near the center. The second image shows a vertical cross section looking towards the west through the northern part of storm from the TRMM PR. It shows areas of heavy rainfall (darker reds) associated with rainbands away from the center of circulation. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar early on the morning of the 7th of March 2004 (LST) as a very powerful Category 5 cyclone with winds estimated at 160 mph. So far, at least 25 people have been reported dead on Madagascar not counting a further 111 feared drowned on a ferry that was lost in the storm and reported to have capsized in heavy seas by two survivors. After making landfall on the northeast coast, Gafilo cut across the northern part of the island moving southwest leaving as many as 100,000 people homeless in its wake before re-emerging over the waters of the Mozambique Channel on March 8th. Out over the channel, Gafilo recurved heading southeast. It briefly regaining Category 1 strength over open waters. The storm then made landfall again on the night of the 9th along the southwest coast of Madagascar and crossed the island yet again, this time over the southern part of the island. Gafilo is finally forecast to exit the southeast coastline of Madagascar on the evening of the 11th and head back out into the western Indian ocean as a weak tropical storm. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for the period 3-10 March 2004 for the area over and around Madagascar. Cyclone symbols mark the 06Z positions of Gafilo along its path. As the storm approaches Madagascar from the east, the heaviest rainfall totals, on the order of 12 inches (orange-red areas), appear close to the center of the storm track. As the systems crosses land, the higher totals appear to the right of the storm track and are on the order of 15 inches of rain (red area) over the northern tip of Madagascar. The heaviest totals of up to 20 inches (darkest reds) stretch from the central Mozambique Channel eastward to along the northwest coastline of Madagascar. These totals appear to be associated with an intense, east-west oriented rainband that was observed by TRMM on March 8 (see the previous story on Gafilo) well north of the storm's center. Rainfall totals are significantly less though still on the order of 4 to 8 inches (green areas) over southern and central Madagascar. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar early on the morning of the 7th of March 2004 (LST) as a very powerful Category 5 cyclone with winds estimated at 160 mph. So far, at least 25 people have been reported dead on Madagascar not counting a further 111 feared drowned on a ferry that was lost in the storm and reported to have capsized in heavy seas by two survivors. After making landfall on the northeast coast, Gafilo cut across the northern part of the island moving southwest leaving as many as 100,000 people homeless in its wake before re-emerging over the waters of the Mozambique Channel on March 8th. Out over the channel, Gafilo recurved heading southeast. It briefly regaining Category 1 strength over open waters. The storm then made landfall again on the night of the 9th along the southwest coast of Madagascar and crossed the island yet again, this time over the southern part of the island. Gafilo is finally forecast to exit the southeast coastline of Madagascar on the evening of the 11th and head back out into the western Indian ocean as a weak tropical storm. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for the period 3-10 March 2004 for the area over and around Madagascar. Cyclone symbols mark the 06Z positions of Gafilo along its path. As the storm approaches Madagascar from the east, the heaviest rainfall totals, on the order of 12 inches (orange-red areas), appear close to the center of the storm track. As the systems crosses land, the higher totals appear to the right of the storm track and are on the order of 15 inches of rain (red area) over the northern tip of Madagascar. The heaviest totals of up to 20 inches (darkest reds) stretch from the central Mozambique Channel eastward to along the northwest coastline of Madagascar. These totals appear to be associated with an intense, east-west oriented rainband that was observed by TRMM on March 8 (see the previous story on Gafilo) well north of the storm's center. Rainfall totals are significantly less though still on the order of 4 to 8 inches (green areas) over southern and central Madagascar. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
At one time, Cyclone Gonu was a powerful Category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 255 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] and on a course towards Oman. This made it the most powerful cyclone ever to threaten the Arabian Peninsula since record keeping began back in 1945. Tropical cyclones do on occasion form in the Arabian Sea, but they rarely exceed tropical storm intensity. In 2006, Tropical Storm Mukda was the only system to form in the region, and it remained well out to sea before dissipating. Gonu became a tropical storm in the morning (local time) of June 2, 2007, in the east-central Arabian Sea. After some initial fluctuations in direction, the storm settled on a northwesterly track and began to intensify. Gonu went from tropical storm intensity to a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] on the night of June 3. Overnight, it developed into a Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 210 km/hr (132 mph). The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], captured this image of Gonu as the storm was moving northwest over the central Arabian Sea. The image was taken at 6:23 a.m. local time (03:23 UTC) on June 4, 2007, when Gonu was a Category 4 storm. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity looking down on the storm. The distribution of rain within the storm reveals the storm's structure, and in this case, Gonu displays all of the tell-tale signs of a potent storm. Not only did Gonu have a complete, well-formed, symmetrical eye surrounded by an intense eyewall (innermost red ring), this inner eyewall was surrounded by a concentric outer eyewall (outermost red and green ring). This double eyewall structure only occurs in very intense storms. Eventually the outer eyewall will contract and replace the inner eyewall, a process known as eyewall replacement. The image was made with data from several sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Several hours after this image was taken, Gonu reached Category 5 intensity, the very peak of possible storm strengths. The system remained in this high state through the day, then began weakening during the night of June 4 as it continued to approach the coast of Oman. The center remained just offshore of the northeast coast of Oman as a Category 1 storm before turning northward towards Iran, where it was expected to make landfall as a tropical storm, according to forecasts made on June 6, 2007. The TRMM satellite was placed into service in November 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM provides valuable images and information on storm systems around the tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors, including the first precipitation radar in space. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
Despite weakening from a Category 5 to a Category 1 cyclone as it neared the Arabian Peninsula, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was responsible for at least 28 fatalities in the region, mostly as a result of flooding, said news reports. In Oman's capital city of Muscat, torrential rains turned streets into rivers of water in this normally arid region. In addition to the 25 confirmed fatalities in Oman, at least 26 other people were reported missing. Iran had reported 3 deaths as a result of the storm as of June 7, 2007. This visualization shows rainfall totals from May 31 through June 7, 2007, from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA). Although the center of Gonu never made landfall in Oman, it came very close to the northeast coastline where it dumped upwards up 200 millimeters of rain (8 inches, shown in dark red). The capital region of Muscat is on the coast where some of the heaviest rain fell. Despite further weakening as it traversed the Gulf of Oman between Oman and southern Iran, Gonu dumped substantial amounts of rain in southern Iran (broad green area) with locally heavy amounts. The mountainous terrain near the coast of Oman and Iran posed an additional hazard to coastal regions. Heavy rain falling on the steep mountains sent torrents of fast-moving floodwater down to the coastal areas. The MPA is computed at NASA Goddard Space Flight center in near-real time using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] The TRMM satellite was placed into service in November 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM provides valuable images and information on storm systems around the tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors, including the first precipitation radar in space. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Heta
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Heta |
| Description |
Heta meandered northwest of Samoa over the weekend before turning south and passing just west of the islands on Monday, January 5, 2004. Winds up to 105 miles per hour buffeted the islands knocking out power, uprooting trees, and causing extensive roof damage. After passing Samoa, Heta continued southeast and intensified with sustained winds estimated at 133 miles per hour and gusts of up to 185 miles per hour as it was headed for the tiny island nation of Niue. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (TRMM) satellite captured these impressive images of Cyclone Heta as it was passing just west of Samoa. The images were taken at 6:08 UTC on January 5, 2004. This image shows a vertical cross section through the eye of the storm from the TRMM PR. It shows areas of heavy rainfall (red areas) extending upwards to midlevels in the eyewalls and in an outer rainband as well as deep convective towers surrounding the eye extending to upper levels (blue areas above red areas). Another image [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11897 ] shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. TRMM reveals that Heta has a double eyewall structure, which can sometimes occur in mature, intense tropical cyclones. The outer eyewall, the intense band of heavy, 2-inch-per-hour rain rates shown by the dark red circle completely surrounds a partial inner eyewall shown by the smaller dark red semicircle. Tropical cyclones act as large heat engines. When water vapor condenses into the cloud droplets that form the precipitation, heat, known as latent heat, is released and drives the storm. Generally, the more heat that is released, the more powerful the storm will become. This heating is also most effective near the center of the storm as is the case with Heta. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC) |
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Tropical Cyclone Heta
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Heta |
| Description |
Heta meandered northwest of Samoa over the weekend before turning south and passing just west of the islands on Monday, January 5, 2004. Winds up to 105 miles per hour buffeted the islands knocking out power, uprooting trees, and causing extensive roof damage. After passing Samoa, Heta continued southeast and intensified with sustained winds estimated at 133 miles per hour and gusts of up to 185 miles per hour as it was headed for the tiny island nation of Niue. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (TRMM) satellite captured these impressive images of Cyclone Heta as it was passing just west of Samoa. The images were taken at 6:08 UTC on January 5, 2004. This image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM reveals that Heta has a double eyewall structure, which can sometimes occur in mature, intense tropical cyclones. The outer eyewall, the intense band of heavy, 2-inch-per-hour rain rates shown by the dark red circle completely surrounds a partial inner eyewall shown by the smaller dark red semicircle. Tropical cyclones act as large heat engines. When water vapor condenses into the cloud droplets that form the precipitation, heat, known as latent heat, is released and drives the storm. Generally, the more heat that is released, the more powerful the storm will become. This heating is also most effective near the center of the storm as is the case with Heta. The second image [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11898 ] shows a vertical cross section through the eye of the storm from the TRMM PR. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC) |
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Tropical Cyclone Hubert
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Hubert |
| Description |
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) flew directly over Tropical Cyclone Hubert as the storm was building off Australia's northwestern coast on April 6, 2006. Hubert is one of the seasonal storms that form between December and April in the region between Australia's northwestern coast and the western islands of the Indonesian chain. In a typical year, the cyclone season winds down in April when the Asian Monsoon developing in the north shifts storm formation away from the Australian coastline. The 2006 Australian cyclone season has seen just slightly more than the typical number of storms, including the unusually powerful Cyclone Glenda, which swept over northwestern Australia in late March. The TRMM satellite brought its full suite of instruments to bear on Tropical Cyclone Hubert. The outer regions of the storm were observed by the Visible and Infrared Scanner instrument, showing the extent and structure of clouds in the building storm. Superimposed on top of the clouds (wide outer swath) is the rain intensity, as detected by passive microwave energy using the TRMM Microwave Radiometer. The innermost swath shows the rain intensity as measured by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). Reds indicated the heaviest rain regions, with the PR instrument able to peer into the clouds to discern the structure and intensity of the storm. The spiral structure of the rain bands, with the most intense rainfall in the storm center, is not at all obvious to other instruments, where the absence of a clear eye structure disguises the underlying storm form. TRMM's unique abilities provide insight into pressing questions in meteorological research, particularly in critical areas such as how storm systems form and intensify. TRMM observed Hubert at 10:47 a.m. local time (02:47 UTC) on April 6, 2006. At the time of this observation, Hubert was strong enough to be classified as a cyclone, but not particularly intense. Cyclone Hubert had a basic spiral form, but lacked the well-developed eye and tight-wound shape of a powerful storm. The PR observations show that the spiral structure and eye formation existed within the storm even though it was not evident in the cloud tops. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission is shared between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. More detailed images of hurricane rain structure can be found on the TRMM website. [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] NASA image courtesy of Hal Pierce, SSAI/Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
| Description |
*animations* ÿÿsmall (379 KB) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/blend.14th.qt ] (1.7 MB) These images were created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov, This remarkable mosaic was obtained from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and shows the evolution of Super Typhoon Kujira's eye in the Western Pacific during April 14-16, 2003. The storm, located over open water well to the north of Papua New Guinea, was steadily intensifying during the period of TRMM observations, and achieved maximum sustained winds of 130 knots. The dates and times of these images are as follows: Upper left (April 14, 11:00 UTC), upper right (April 14, 21 UTC), bottom left (April 15, 20 UTC), and bottom right (April 16, 11 UTC). Earth's natural microwave energy upwelling from the lower layers of the atmosphere passes through clouds unimpeded, but is partially blocked by large precipitating ice particles (such as snowflakes) high in deep clouds. The TMI measures the amount of energy scattered by the ice particles. The more ice there is, the more energy is scattered, meaning smaller amounts of energy are received by TRMM. Low values of returned energy (200 degrees Kelvin, shown by the color scale) represent the most intense clouds (colored red on the image). The dark blue color in the center of the eye signifies very warm temperatures and (essentially) the absence of any ice-producing clouds. In addition to adding artificial color, the energy values have been rendered in terms of three dimensions, with the coldest, tallest clouds rising above all others. Thus, the eyewall appears as a tall ring of deep, intense convective clouds at the center of the storm. By following the sequence of images, we can watch the structure of the eyewall change with time. Initially on April 14th, Kujira's eye is quite symmetric and very circular. It's "healthy" appearance signifies continued intensification. But only a few hours later on the 14th (top right panel), the storm's circulation evolves into several heavy rainbands. More interestingly, the eyewall appears to assume a double structure, with a partial eyewall ring embedded within the larger outer eyewall. Very powerful tropical cyclones such as super typhoons frequently undergo one or more of these "eyewall replacement cycles," where a new eyewall develops and replaces an existing one. When this happens, the intensity of the tropical cyclone can dramatically fluctuate. The lower left panel (15 April) shows the super typhoon during its mature stage, and a single eyewall is again present. The extent of the circulation has also greatly expanded, with broad rainbands wrapping in from the south. However, on the 16th (lower right panel), the storm's circulation is finally beginning to weaken, marked by the disappearance of rainbands in the southeast quadrant and an asymmetric eyewall. Loss of a contiguous eyewall usually heralds a decrease in storm intensity. Like a CAT Scan, TRMM peers through the clouds and shows us the evolution of a powerful typhoon in Pacific, with the associated structural changes that signify intensification, peak intensity and weakening phases over a multi-day period. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
| Description |
*animations* ÿÿsmall (379 KB) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/blend.14th.qt ] (1.7 MB) These images were created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov, This remarkable mosaic was obtained from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and shows the evolution of Super Typhoon Kujira's eye in the Western Pacific during April 14-16, 2003. The storm, located over open water well to the north of Papua New Guinea, was steadily intensifying during the period of TRMM observations, and achieved maximum sustained winds of 130 knots. The dates and times of these images are as follows: Upper left (April 14, 11:00 UTC), upper right (April 14, 21 UTC), bottom left (April 15, 20 UTC), and bottom right (April 16, 11 UTC). Earth's natural microwave energy upwelling from the lower layers of the atmosphere passes through clouds unimpeded, but is partially blocked by large precipitating ice particles (such as snowflakes) high in deep clouds. The TMI measures the amount of energy scattered by the ice particles. The more ice there is, the more energy is scattered, meaning smaller amounts of energy are received by TRMM. Low values of returned energy (200 degrees Kelvin, shown by the color scale) represent the most intense clouds (colored red on the image). The dark blue color in the center of the eye signifies very warm temperatures and (essentially) the absence of any ice-producing clouds. In addition to adding artificial color, the energy values have been rendered in terms of three dimensions, with the coldest, tallest clouds rising above all others. Thus, the eyewall appears as a tall ring of deep, intense convective clouds at the center of the storm. By following the sequence of images, we can watch the structure of the eyewall change with time. Initially on April 14th, Kujira's eye is quite symmetric and very circular. It's "healthy" appearance signifies continued intensification. But only a few hours later on the 14th (top right panel), the storm's circulation evolves into several heavy rainbands. More interestingly, the eyewall appears to assume a double structure, with a partial eyewall ring embedded within the larger outer eyewall. Very powerful tropical cyclones such as super typhoons frequently undergo one or more of these "eyewall replacement cycles," where a new eyewall develops and replaces an existing one. When this happens, the intensity of the tropical cyclone can dramatically fluctuate. The lower left panel (15 April) shows the super typhoon during its mature stage, and a single eyewall is again present. The extent of the circulation has also greatly expanded, with broad rainbands wrapping in from the south. However, on the 16th (lower right panel), the storm's circulation is finally beginning to weaken, marked by the disappearance of rainbands in the southeast quadrant and an asymmetric eyewall. Loss of a contiguous eyewall usually heralds a decrease in storm intensity. Like a CAT Scan, TRMM peers through the clouds and shows us the evolution of a powerful typhoon in Pacific, with the associated structural changes that signify intensification, peak intensity and weakening phases over a multi-day period. |
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Tropical Cyclone Manou hits
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Tropical Cyclone Manou hits Madagascar |
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This image from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on May 8, 2003, shows Tropical Cyclone Manou as it made landfall over Madagascar and moved slowly southward along the east coast. In this view, the path of the satellite cuts across Madagascar as a dark gray swath. The outermost part of the swath sweeps out the scanning path of the TRMM Microwave Imager, which detects ice particles in the top of Manou's outer rain bands (shown in yellow). The innermost swath shows rain intensity as measured by the Precipitation Radar, with red colors indicating the heaviest rain rates, in excess of several inches per hour. Note the well-defined eye in the center of the storm and the intense rains in the surrounding eyewall. With the core of Manou's circulation moving along the coastline, vast amounts of rain are being deposited on the nation. The potential for serious flooding over this country is particularly high, as many of the steep mountain slopes are deforested and thus quite prone to runoff and mudslides. Madagascar, located in the Indian Ocean southeast of Africa, averages about four tropical cyclones each rainy season between November and April. The TRMM satellite was jointly built by NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Views of other 2003 and 2002 tropical cyclones can be found at the TRMM Website. These images were created by Hal Pierce of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Monica
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Tropical Cyclone Monica |
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Cyclone Monica became the strongest storm of the 2006 Australian cyclone season with wind gusts reaching 350 kilometers per hour (215 miles per hour) as reported by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre. The Category 5 cyclone hit along the sparsely populated coastline of the Northern Territory, sparing the city of Darwin. Monica originated in the Coral Sea below the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, becoming a minimal tropical storm on April 17, 2006. The storm tracked due west towards the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, where it came ashore just south of Lockart River on the afternoon of April 19 as a Category 3 cyclone. Monica weakened as it crossed the peninsula, but when it reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the other side, it re-organized and re-intensified. The image above shows Cyclone Monica during this re-intensification. The visualization combines data from several different instruments from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which observed the storm at 16:08 UTC on April 22, 2006 (1:38 a.m., April 23, Australian CST). With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. In this case, TRMM showed a pattern of very heavy rain (red) forming an intense symmetric eyewall around a small, complete eye with tightly curved rainbands spiraling into the centerthe signature of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. At the time of this TRMM overpass, Monica's sustained winds were estimated to be 230 kilometers/hour (144 mph) or equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Soon after these images were taken, Monica reached Category 5 status with sustained winds estimated at 285 km/hr (178 mph). The cyclone tracked westward, skirting the northern coastline of Australia before coming ashore west of Maningrida in the Northern Territory just after 8 p.m. local time. The storm quickly lost strength as it moved inland and passed by the main population center of Darwin. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. TRMM made several passes over Monica, during both the early and the mature stages of the storm. Since its launch in 1997, TRMM has provided valuable information on tropical storms. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay details on storm structure and location to forecasters. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Percy
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Tropical Cyclone Percy |
| Description |
Percy, a powerful Category 4 cyclone, is the latest cyclone to threaten the South Pacific. In early February Cyclone Meena hit the Cook Islands, and in mid-February Cyclone Nancy also skirted the Cook Islands while Cyclone Olaf brushed the islands of Samoa and American Samoa. Percy started out as a tropical depression on February 24, 2005, near Tuvalu, just east of the international dateline. The system moved east-southeast staying north of Samoa and steadily increased in strength. It became a cyclone on February 25 and, two days later, grew into a powerful Category 4 cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Percy then slowed down, weakened slightly and battered the atolls of Nassau and Pukapuka in the northern Cook Islands before turning south on February 28. Percy regained Category 4 strength on March 1, and then further intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm on the 2nd with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 knots (161 mph). In November of 1997, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM satellite, was launched to measure rainfall over the global tropics. TRMM has also turned out to be an excellent observational platform for studying and monitoring tropical cyclones, as shown by this series of images of Cyclone Percy. The top left image, taken at 08:29 UTC on February 28, just as Percy was raking the Nassau and Pukapuka atolls, shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows an asymmetrical eye with intense rain (dark red area) in the northern part of the eyewall. This rain indicates where heat is being released into the storm. Known as "latent heat," it is the heat released when water vapor condenses into liquid cloud droplets. It is most effective in driving the cyclone's circulation when it is released near the center as is the case shown here by TRMM. The right image was taken at the same time by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm looking east. The intense rain (darker red area) is associated with the tallest towers in the northern eyewall. The broad yellow area indicating moderate rain is associated with an outer rainband. At the time of these images, Percy was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds estimated at 105 knots (121 mph). The lower left image was taken at 08:18 UTC on March 2, 2005. At this time Percy was a strong Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 130 knots (150 mph). The center of the storm does not fall within the PR swath, which has a higher horizontal resolution than the TMI. However, the TMI is still able to show what appears to a double, eyewall. Mature, intense tropical cyclones undergo what it known as eyewall replacement cycles wherein an outer eyewall forms as a ring surrounding the inner eyewall. The outer eyewall eventually contracts and replaces the inner eyewall. The two eyewalls are evident as the two concentric rings of moderate rain intensity (green areas).TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Percy
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Percy |
| Description |
Percy, a powerful Category 4 cyclone, is the latest cyclone to threaten the South Pacific. In early February Cyclone Meena hit the Cook Islands, and in mid-February Cyclone Nancy also skirted the Cook Islands while Cyclone Olaf brushed the islands of Samoa and American Samoa. Percy started out as a tropical depression on February 24, 2005, near Tuvalu, just east of the international dateline. The system moved east-southeast staying north of Samoa and steadily increased in strength. It became a cyclone on February 25 and, two days later, grew into a powerful Category 4 cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Percy then slowed down, weakened slightly and battered the atolls of Nassau and Pukapuka in the northern Cook Islands before turning south on February 28. Percy regained Category 4 strength on March 1, and then further intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm on the 2nd with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 knots (161 mph). In November of 1997, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM satellite, was launched to measure rainfall over the global tropics. TRMM has also turned out to be an excellent observational platform for studying and monitoring tropical cyclones, as shown by this series of images of Cyclone Percy. The top left image, taken at 08:29 UTC on February 28, just as Percy was raking the Nassau and Pukapuka atolls, shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows an asymmetrical eye with intense rain (dark red area) in the northern part of the eyewall. This rain indicates where heat is being released into the storm. Known as "latent heat," it is the heat released when water vapor condenses into liquid cloud droplets. It is most effective in driving the cyclone's circulation when it is released near the center as is the case shown here by TRMM. The right image was taken at the same time by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm looking east. The intense rain (darker red area) is associated with the tallest towers in the northern eyewall. The broad yellow area indicating moderate rain is associated with an outer rainband. At the time of these images, Percy was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds estimated at 105 knots (121 mph). The lower left image was taken at 08:18 UTC on March 2, 2005. At this time Percy was a strong Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 130 knots (150 mph). The center of the storm does not fall within the PR swath, which has a higher horizontal resolution than the TMI. However, the TMI is still able to show what appears to a double, eyewall. Mature, intense tropical cyclones undergo what it known as eyewall replacement cycles wherein an outer eyewall forms as a ring surrounding the inner eyewall. The outer eyewall eventually contracts and replaces the inner eyewall. The two eyewalls are evident as the two concentric rings of moderate rain intensity (green areas).TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Percy
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Percy |
| Description |
Percy, a powerful Category 4 cyclone, is the latest cyclone to threaten the South Pacific. In early February Cyclone Meena hit the Cook Islands, and in mid-February Cyclone Nancy also skirted the Cook Islands while Cyclone Olaf brushed the islands of Samoa and American Samoa. Percy started out as a tropical depression on February 24, 2005, near Tuvalu, just east of the international dateline. The system moved east-southeast staying north of Samoa and steadily increased in strength. It became a cyclone on February 25 and, two days later, grew into a powerful Category 4 cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Percy then slowed down, weakened slightly and battered the atolls of Nassau and Pukapuka in the northern Cook Islands before turning south on February 28. Percy regained Category 4 strength on March 1, and then further intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm on the 2nd with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 knots (161 mph). In November of 1997, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM satellite, was launched to measure rainfall over the global tropics. TRMM has also turned out to be an excellent observational platform for studying and monitoring tropical cyclones, as shown by this series of images of Cyclone Percy. The top left image, taken at 08:29 UTC on February 28, just as Percy was raking the Nassau and Pukapuka atolls, shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows an asymmetrical eye with intense rain (dark red area) in the northern part of the eyewall. This rain indicates where heat is being released into the storm. Known as "latent heat," it is the heat released when water vapor condenses into liquid cloud droplets. It is most effective in driving the cyclone's circulation when it is released near the center as is the case shown here by TRMM. The right image was taken at the same time by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm looking east. The intense rain (darker red area) is associated with the tallest towers in the northern eyewall. The broad yellow area indicating moderate rain is associated with an outer rainband. At the time of these images, Percy was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds estimated at 105 knots (121 mph). The lower left image was taken at 08:18 UTC on March 2, 2005. At this time Percy was a strong Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 130 knots (150 mph). The center of the storm does not fall within the PR swath, which has a higher horizontal resolution than the TMI. However, the TMI is still able to show what appears to a double, eyewall. Mature, intense tropical cyclones undergo what it known as eyewall replacement cycles wherein an outer eyewall forms as a ring surrounding the inner eyewall. The outer eyewall eventually contracts and replaces the inner eyewall. The two eyewalls are evident as the two concentric rings of moderate rain intensity (green areas).TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Zoe
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Tropical Cyclone Zoe |
| Description |
Although the Atlantic and East Pacific hurricane seasons have long drawn to a close, deadly tropical cyclones can still develop around the year in the warm waters of the western Pacific. During the last half of December 2002, Typhoon Zoe developed in the southwestern Pacific and intensified into a rare Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds exceeding 178 mph with gusts to higher values. This Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) image collected on December 28 captured the eye of the storm during its peak intensity. The narrow, rapidly rotating eye is surrounded by very intense rains (red colors) produced by thunderclouds towering up to nine miles high. Several small, isolated islands in the Solomons received heavy damage from this storm.*animations* movie (1.3 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Jeff Halverson, TRMM Outreach Scientist and Hal Pierce, TRMM Visualizer, both from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Zoe
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Tropical Cyclone Zoe |
| Description |
Although the Atlantic and East Pacific hurricane seasons have long drawn to a close, deadly tropical cyclones can still develop around the year in the warm waters of the western Pacific. During the last half of December 2002, Typhoon Zoe developed in the southwestern Pacific and intensified into a rare Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds exceeding 178 mph with gusts to higher values. This Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) image collected on December 28 captured the eye of the storm during its peak intensity. The narrow, rapidly rotating eye is surrounded by very intense rains (red colors) produced by thunderclouds towering up to nine miles high. Several small, isolated islands in the Solomons received heavy damage from this storm.*animations* movie (1.3 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Jeff Halverson, TRMM Outreach Scientist and Hal Pierce, TRMM Visualizer, both from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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