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Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Florida from 2005
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TRMM Satellite and TMI Swath
| Title |
TRMM Satellite and TMI Swath |
| Abstract |
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched on November 27, 1997, as a joint mission of NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. TRMM has five Earth-observing instruments on board and circles the Earth every 92 minutes in an equatorial orbit between 35 degrees north and south latitude so that those instruments can measure precipitation in the tropics. One of the instuments, TMI, observes five frequencies of microwave emissions in a 780-kilometer wide swath along the orbit in order to measure the amount of rain and ice in the atmosphere. This animation shows the TRMM satellite orbiting for one day, August 27, 2005, showing a set of TRMM measurements at a frequency of 85.5 GHz. In this frequency band, atmospheric ice crystals scatter microwaves and so areas with ice crystals appear colder than areas with no ice. Both Hurricane Katrina, just to the west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, and Typhoon Talim, in the westerm Pacific between Japan and New Guinea, show up as bright swirling patterns. This measurement is just one of the TMI measurements that go into calculating the total instantaneous rainfall in the tropics. |
| Completed |
2006-04-04 |
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Heavy Rain in the Northeaste
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| Title |
Heavy Rain in the Northeastern United States |
| Description |
Rain was still falling a full week after a wet weather front moved up the U.S. East Coast. The rain had not abated when this image was created using data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between October 7 and October 14, 2005. The image shows rainfall totals in colors ranging from blue, lightest totals, to orange, the heaviest totals. The central and northern Appalachian Mountains are covered with a wide swath of yellow and green, representing 100-150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) of rainfall. Orange over parts of northern New Jersey and southeastern New York State shows regions that received up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain. As the rain continued to fall, flash floods swamped many regions, and rivers rose. Many evacuated in the face of flooding, say news reports. The rain was brought to the region by a slow-moving frontal system. Stretching from the Florida panhandle to Maine, the front drew tropical moisture—including the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy—up the East Coast. The front parked itself off the coast, allowing an area of low pressure to form just off of the Delmarva Peninsula. The low brought a second round of heavy rain to the Northeast. The rainfall totals shown here were taken from the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. MPA provides rainfall estimates over the global Tropics. The image is an example of the value of the TRMM satellite, which was launched in November 1997 to provide better estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. Since that time, TRMM has been providing unprecedented estimates of rainfall over the Tropics using its array of passive and active sensors. 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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Heavy Rain in the Northeaste
…
| Title |
Heavy Rain in the Northeastern United States |
| Description |
Rain was still falling a full week after a wet weather front moved up the U.S. East Coast. The rain had not abated when this image was created using data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between October 7 and October 14, 2005. The image shows rainfall totals in colors ranging from blue, lightest totals, to orange, the heaviest totals. The central and northern Appalachian Mountains are covered with a wide swath of yellow and green, representing 100-150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) of rainfall. Orange over parts of northern New Jersey and southeastern New York State shows regions that received up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain. As the rain continued to fall, flash floods swamped many regions, and rivers rose. Many evacuated in the face of flooding, say news reports. The rain was brought to the region by a slow-moving frontal system. Stretching from the Florida panhandle to Maine, the front drew tropical moisture—including the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy—up the East Coast. The front parked itself off the coast, allowing an area of low pressure to form just off of the Delmarva Peninsula. The low brought a second round of heavy rain to the Northeast. The rainfall totals shown here were taken from the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. MPA provides rainfall estimates over the global Tropics. The image is an example of the value of the TRMM satellite, which was launched in November 1997 to provide better estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. Since that time, TRMM has been providing unprecedented estimates of rainfall over the Tropics using its array of passive and active sensors. 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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Drought in the Southern Unit
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| Title |
Drought in the Southern United States |
| Description |
Rainfall across the United States in the winter of 2005-06 has shown the classic pattern of a La Niña event. La Niña is a climate anomaly (departure from average conditions) that consists of cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the central and eastern Pacific and warmer-than-average SSTs over the western Pacific. Changes in the atmospheric circulation occur during La Niña events, as well. These combined ocean-atmosphere changes are likely responsible for the drought in the Southwest, the South, the central Plains, and Florida that has led to several devastating wildfires this season. This image shows where daily rainfall was above and below average in the United States between October 2005 and January 2006 compared to the eight-year average for that time frame. Places where rainfall was above average are in blue and green, while places rainfall was below average are in orange and red. The data are from the Tropical-Rainfall-Measuring-Mission-based, near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The Pacific Northwest (green and blue areas), especially along the coast and over the coastal ranges of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington (blue areas) received more precipitation than usual. Almost the entire rest of the country, barring New England, had below-normal rainfall. The most intense rainfall deficits (orange and red areas) include the area stretching from Texas up through the central Plains and Upper Midwest, as well as the Gulf Coast, most of Florida, and along the southern Atlantic coast. In the Southwest, the rainfall deficit added to the stress of several years of below-average rainfall. Most of Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and central Oklahoma have received less than 25 percent of their normal rainfall for the period. The current La Niña is expected to persist for the next several months. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched in November 1997. It measures rainfall over the global tropics using both passive and active sensors, including the first precipitation radar in space. 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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Hurricane Dennis
| Title |
Hurricane Dennis |
| Description |
After striking Cuba on July 8, 2005, Hurricane Dennis had lost strength from passing over land. However in the Gulf of Mexico, it recovered and strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm once again during the early morning hours of July 9th, with maximum sustained winds back up to 125 knots (144 mph). Fortunately for residents in the Florida panhandle, Dennis weakened just before making landfall due to the storm's passage over slightly cooler water. Dennis made landfall around 3:30 p.m. CDT on July 10th just east of Pensacola, Florida, as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. This image shows Hurricane Dennis at 22:41 UTC (5:31 p.m. CDT) on July 10th, just after the storm had made landfall. The eye is already open to the south as hurricanes tend to quickly weaken over land, and almost all of the rain is occurring north and east of the center (green and blue areas). Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar measuring precipitation from space. 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 image shows a rejuvenated Dennis with maximum sustained winds back up to 90 knots (104 mph). The eye is well formed and contains intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (dark red area) in the northeastern part of the eyewall, an indication that strong heating is occurring in the core and is reinvigorating the system. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been monitoring the progress of Dennis since it formed in the eastern Caribbean. Launched in 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM continues to prove itself as an excellent platform for observing tropical cyclones. 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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Hurricane Ophelia
| Title |
Hurricane Ophelia |
| Description |
Over the second week of September, Ophelia meandered off of the southeast coast of the United States due to weak steering currents. The system, which began as a depression over the Bahamas on September 6, 2005, twice stalled out and made loops: once just east of Cape Canveral, Florida, and the other farther out to sea east of Georgia. Ophelia also flip-flopped several times between a strong tropical storm and a weak Category 1 hurricane. Despite its very slow movement, which usually leads to weakening due to upwelling of cooler water, Ophelia has maintained itself as a result of warm waters and its proximity to the Gulf Stream. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite has been following Ophelia's progress along the East Coast. This image shows the height of the precipitation columns within Ophelia with a cutaway view through the southern part of the eye. The large eye is easily visible in the center along with the area of intense rain in the southwest corner of the eye (dark red area). However, there are no tall towers surrounding the eye that might indicate imminent strengthening. Launched in 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring and studying tropical cyclones. TRMM's compliment of instruments includes the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar capable of measuring precipitation from space, and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), a passive intrument that can also measure rainfall. 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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Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
The onslaught from the 2005 hurricane season continued with the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the second Category 5 storm to threaten the Gulf of Mexico in less than a month. As it was passing south of the Florida Keys on September 20, 2005, Hurricane Rita was in the process of slowly intensifying from a Category 1 storm into a Category 2 storm. However, upon entering the Gulf of Mexico, Rita tapped into a deep layer of very warm water located in the southeast part of the Gulf associated with the Loop Current. This allowed Rita to undergo a process known as rapid deepening, which transformed it into a powerful Category 5 hurricane with the 3rd lowest air pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic Basin storm. Fortunately, as Rita moved across the Gulf away from the loop current, it slowly began to weaken. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Rita at 13:45 UTC (9:45 am EDT) on September 23, 2005 as the hurricane was passing south of the central Louisiana coast. The center of the storm lies within the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) swath. Areas of very heavy rain (dark red areas) associated with an outer rainband are approaching the the Louisiana coast. The eyewall is not as symmetrical as in earlier observations, one sign of a weakening storm. Rita, however, was still strong with sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) when this image was taken. The TRMM satellite is one of many being used to monitor hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven to be a valuable platform for observing tropical cyclones and can provide unique images and information on these storms. 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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Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
After the immense devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina, all eyes were on Hurricane Rita as it passed over the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico. Rita formed from a tropical disturbance east of the Turks and Caicos Islands into a depression (TD #18) on September 17, 2005. The system moved west through the Caicos and strengthened into a tropical storm on the 18th before entering into the southern Bahamas. This image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity within Rita measured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) sensors. Rain rates in the center part of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar capable of measuring precipitation from space. The PR can provide fine-resolution rainfall data and details on the vertical structure of the storm. 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). The image was taken at 08:28 UTC (4:28 a.m. EDT) on September 20 as Rita was passing through the Florida Straits. Although the center of Rita does not fall within the PR swath, it is obvious from TRMM that Rita is becoming better organized. A ragged eye is present, surrounded by areas of moderate rain (green areas) with good banding in the outer rainbands, all signs that the storm's circulation is improving. Rita was still a tropical storm at the time of this image, with sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). By early afternoon the same day, Rita would become a Category 2 hurricane as it passed south of the Florida Keys and headed for the Gulf of Mexico. The TRMM satellite is one of a number of satellites being used to monitor Hurricane Rita and storms like it. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable platform for observing tropical cyclones, which include hurricanes and typhoons. 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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Hurricane Wilma
| Title |
Hurricane Wilma |
| Description |
After setting the all-time record for the lowest recorded pressure in the Atlantic basin as a powerful Category 5 hurricane in the western Caribbean, Hurricane Wilma weakened to a still-powerful Category 4 storm. On October 21, 2005, Wilma slowly crossed over Cozumel as a strong Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds reported at up to 230 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The center of Wilma then drifted over the far northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula delivering torrential rains and strong winds. Before being caught up in the westerlies, Wilma stalled out over the Yucatan, resulting in a sustained period of heavy rain and flooding. The rainfall was observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals due solely to Wilma are shown for October 17-25, 2005, with storm symbols marking the storm track. Rainfall totals on the order of 300 to 400 millimeters (12 to 16 inches: darker red areas) are located over the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. After drifting over the Yucatan and weakening to a Category 2 storm, Wilma was picked up by a mid-latitude weather system known as a "trough." The storm accelerated off to the northeast across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, where it made landfall on the morning of October 24 just south of Marco Island. Wilma raced across southern Florida with winds in excess of 160 km/hr (100 mph) in just 6 hours. This quick transit kept rainfall totals down. MPA rainfall amounts over Florida are generally 150 mm (6 inches or less: 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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Hurricane Wilma
| Title |
Hurricane Wilma |
| Description |
When Wilma became a named tropical storm on October 17, 2005, it tied a record dating back to 1933 for the most named storms in a season. When Wilma became a hurricane on October 18, it tied the record dating back to 1969 for the most hurricanes in a season. However, when Wilma shot from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on the morning of October 19, it broke the all-time record for the lowest pressure ever measured in the Atlantic Basin. A hurricane's central pressure is an indicator of its intensity—the lower the pressure, the more intense the storm. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Wilma approaching the Yucatan Peninsula at 00:55 UTC on October 21, 2005 (8:55 pm EDT October 20, 2005). This 3-D perspective of Wilma shows a cut-away view of the eye, with cloud height on the top right side of the storm and rain rates in the lower left side of the storm. TRMM measures the cloud height with radar, which detects the location of precipitation (and therefore clouds). In this image, clouds tower over 10 kilometers above the ocean around the eye. The deep ring of red at the base of the eye shows that heavy rain is falling in the same area. TRMM reveals that Wilma had a well-defined, closed inner eye of intense rain surrounded by larger concentric rings of more moderate rain. (The concentric rings are easier to see in the version of the image that does not include the 3-D cloud height overlay, available here.) The sharply curved features in the rain field surrounding the inner eye are the mark of well-developed, intense circulation. At the time of the image, Wilma was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds reported at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center. At its height, Wilma had sustained winds of 280 km/hr (175 mph). At the time these images were taken, Wilma was drifting very slowly to the northwest towards Cozumel, Mexico. The storm was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a weaker hurricane before making landfall along the west coast of Florida. The TRMM satellite is one of many satellites monitoring hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM has a number of instruments that are valuable for observing tropical cyclones. In these images, rain rates in the central portion of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). 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 [ 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). |
|
Hurricane Wilma
| Title |
Hurricane Wilma |
| Description |
When Wilma became a named tropical storm on October 17, 2005, it tied a record dating back to 1933 for the most named storms in a season. When Wilma became a hurricane on October 18, it tied the record dating back to 1969 for the most hurricanes in a season. However, when Wilma shot from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on the morning of October 19, it broke the all-time record for the lowest pressure ever measured in the Atlantic Basin. A hurricane's central pressure is an indicator of its intensity—the lower the pressure, the more intense the storm. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Wilma approaching the Yucatan Peninsula at 00:55 UTC on October 21, 2005 (8:55 pm EDT October 20, 2005). This 3-D perspective of Wilma shows a cut-away view of the eye, with cloud height on the top right side of the storm and rain rates in the lower left side of the storm. TRMM measures the cloud height with radar, which detects the location of precipitation (and therefore clouds). In this image, clouds tower over 10 kilometers above the ocean around the eye. The deep ring of red at the base of the eye shows that heavy rain is falling in the same area. TRMM reveals that Wilma had a well-defined, closed inner eye of intense rain surrounded by larger concentric rings of more moderate rain. (The concentric rings are easier to see in the version of the image that does not include the 3-D cloud height overlay, available here.) The sharply curved features in the rain field surrounding the inner eye are the mark of well-developed, intense circulation. At the time of the image, Wilma was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds reported at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center. At its height, Wilma had sustained winds of 280 km/hr (175 mph). At the time these images were taken, Wilma was drifting very slowly to the northwest towards Cozumel, Mexico. The storm was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a weaker hurricane before making landfall along the west coast of Florida. The TRMM satellite is one of many satellites monitoring hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM has a number of instruments that are valuable for observing tropical cyclones. In these images, rain rates in the central portion of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). 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 [ 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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Hurricane Rita: Natural Haza
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
After the immense devastatio
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rita_trmm_20sep05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-09-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
rita_trmm_20sep05 |
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Hurricane Rita: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
After forming east of the Tu
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rita_trmm_18-26sep05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-09-26 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
rita_trmm_18-26sep05 |
|
Hurricane Katrina: Natural H
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
katrina_trmm_23-31aug05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-08-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
katrina_trmm_23-31aug05 |
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Heavy Rain in the Northeaste
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
ne_floods_7oct-14oct05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ne_floods_7oct-14oct05 |
|
Hurricane Wilma: Natural Haz
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
After setting the all-time r
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wilma_trmm_2005298
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
wilma_trmm_2005298 |
|
Hurricane Rita: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The onslaught from the 2005
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rita_trmm_23sep05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-09-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
rita_trmm_23sep05 |
|
Hurricane Ophelia: Natural H
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Over the second week of Sept
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ophelia_trmm_14sep05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-09-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ophelia_trmm_14sep05 |
|
Drought in the Southern Unit
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Rainfall across the United S
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usrainfallanom_trm_200601_pa
…
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
usrainfallanom_trm_200601_palette |
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