|
|
Browse All
:
Images of Louisiana and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Texas
|
Printer Friendly |
Great Zoom into Houston, Tex
…
| Title |
Great Zoom into Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium |
| Abstract |
Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution datasets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. |
| Completed |
2004-01-24 |
|
Tropical Storm Allison Progr
…
| Title |
Tropical Storm Allison Progression (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Tropical Storm Allison began just five days into the 2001 hurricane season. Allison formed in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and dumped an enormous amount of rain on Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and other states in the southeastern United States. |
| Completed |
2004-03-11 |
|
Great Zoom out of Houston, T
…
| Title |
Great Zoom out of Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium (with spin) |
| Abstract |
Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution datasets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. |
| Completed |
2004-01-24 |
|
Great Zoom into Houston, Tex
…
| Title |
Great Zoom into Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium (with spin) |
| Abstract |
Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution datasets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. |
| Completed |
2004-01-24 |
|
Great Zoom out of Houston, T
…
| Title |
Great Zoom out of Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium |
| Abstract |
Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution datasets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. |
| Completed |
2004-01-24 |
|
Floods in Southeast Texas
| Title |
Floods in Southeast Texas |
| Description |
Strong southerly winds pumped moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico and across southeastern Texas over the Memorial Day weekend at the end of May 2006. The abundant moisture triggered and sustained thunderstorms over the coastal areas of Texas between May 28 and May 31, 2006. Up to 16 inches of rain were reported in just 24 hours in Chambers County, Texas, east of Galveston Bay, and nearly 12 inches of rain fell in Harris County just outside of Houston. Patches of heavy rain in Southern Texas are clear in this image of satellite-based rainfall totals for May 28-31, 2006. The highest totals (shown in red) occur just inland from the coast near Matagorda Bay along the central part of the Texas Gulf coast where rainfall totals exceed 10 inches (darkest red area). Another area of heavy rain is visible near the border with Louisiana just north of Beaumont, Texas, where amounts are on the order of 7 inches (lighter red area). The totals reported near Galveston Bay and Houston may have been too small in scale (occurred in a very localized area) or occurred over too a brief period to be captured by the satellite, as the image shows relatively low totals in those areas. The image was created from a near-real time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The MPA is based on data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (known as TRMM, [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) which was placed into service in November 1997. From its low-Earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global Tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Floods in Texas and Louisian
…
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
Smudges and pools of black—tale-tell signs of flooding—outline the Neches, Sabine, and Calcasieu Rivers in the top satellite image. Taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on October 24, 2006, the image was created with both infrared and visible light, a combination that makes water appear black, while plant-covered land is green. The floods that the image reveals occurred after heavy rain [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13933 ] inundated Texas and Louisiana. The Neches, Sabine, and Calcasieu swelled as inland runoff drained through the rivers. By October 23, the Neches River was eight feet above flood stage near Beaumont, Texas, reported the Associated Press [ http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/23/texas.floods.ap/index.html ]. The floods destroyed about 40 homes in Beaumont, a region that was still recovering from a direct hit from Hurricane Rita [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13166 ] in 2005. Cement-gray against the verdant landscape in these images, the city of Beaumont sits on the west bank of the Neches River. Smaller cities pepper the distance between Beaumont and its southern neighbor, Port Neches. Patches of tan are sparsely vegetated or plant-free stretches of land. Red boxes outline a few fires in the lower image, which was taken before the rain began. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2006297 ] of the U.S. Gulf Coast are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like, true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Texas and Louisian
…
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
Smudges and pools of black—tale-tell signs of flooding—outline the Neches, Sabine, and Calcasieu Rivers in the top satellite image. Taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on October 24, 2006, the image was created with both infrared and visible light, a combination that makes water appear black, while plant-covered land is green. The floods that the image reveals occurred after heavy rain [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13933 ] inundated Texas and Louisiana. The Neches, Sabine, and Calcasieu swelled as inland runoff drained through the rivers. By October 23, the Neches River was eight feet above flood stage near Beaumont, Texas, reported the Associated Press [ http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/23/texas.floods.ap/index.html ]. The floods destroyed about 40 homes in Beaumont, a region that was still recovering from a direct hit from Hurricane Rita [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13166 ] in 2005. Cement-gray against the verdant landscape in these images, the city of Beaumont sits on the west bank of the Neches River. Smaller cities pepper the distance between Beaumont and its southern neighbor, Port Neches. Patches of tan are sparsely vegetated or plant-free stretches of land. Red boxes outline a few fires in the lower image, which was taken before the rain began. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2006297 ] of the U.S. Gulf Coast are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like, true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in the Southern and M
…
| Title |
Floods in the Southern and Midwestern United States |
| Description |
River systems throughout northern Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana were swollen with winter rain when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on January 21, 2007. The National Weather Service had issued warnings of mild flooding on many of the rivers shown in this image, but by January 22, the high water had begun to subside. The floods followed a powerful winter storm [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17530 ] that dumped heavy rain on the South, and ice and snow on the Midwest. The lower image shows Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana on January 10, before the storm struck. Like the top image, the lower image was made with both infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. In this type of image, water is black or dark blue, while plant-covered land is bright green and bare or lightly vegetated ground is tan. The city of Shreveport, Louisiana, is the grey area on the banks of the Red River. Clouds are pale blue and white. True-color, photo-like images are also available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in the Southern and M
…
| Title |
Floods in the Southern and Midwestern United States |
| Description |
River systems throughout northern Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana were swollen with winter rain when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on January 21, 2007. The National Weather Service had issued warnings of mild flooding on many of the rivers shown in this image, but by January 22, the high water had begun to subside. The floods followed a powerful winter storm [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17530 ] that dumped heavy rain on the South, and ice and snow on the Midwest. The lower image shows Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana on January 10, before the storm struck. Like the top image, the lower image was made with both infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. In this type of image, water is black or dark blue, while plant-covered land is bright green and bare or lightly vegetated ground is tan. The city of Shreveport, Louisiana, is the grey area on the banks of the Red River. Clouds are pale blue and white. True-color, photo-like images are also available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Growing-Season Fires in Cent
…
| Title |
Growing-Season Fires in Central United States |
| Description |
Agricultural burning in preparation for the growing season was underway in the central United States at the time of this image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on March 31, 2004. Across the dun-colored witner landscape, spring green is beginning to spread across the south-central parts of the country, including (top left to bottom) Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, and (top right to bottom) Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Fires have been marked with red dots in the image. The smokier fires in Arkansas may be prescribed burns on state or federal lands that are set in the spring to decrease built-up underbrush and other vegetation that could contribute to more severe wildfires later in the season. Though not necessarily hazardous, large-scale burning can have an impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Heavy Rain in the US Midwest
| Title |
Heavy Rain in the US Midwest |
| Description |
The powerful storms that moved across the U.S. Midwest during the first week of May 2007 brought wind, hail, tornadoes, and drenching rain. This image shows rainfall totals over parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska between May 1 and May 8, based in part on measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. More than 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) of rain fell over some regions, corresponding with locations where the National Weather Service reported severe weather. [ http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/070506_rpts.html ] A wide swath of red and orange (between 240 and 400 millimeters of rain) arcs in a clockwise direction from western Oklahoma, through central Kansas, and into southeastern Nebraska. The reddish-orange bull's-eye over southeastern Louisiana is evidence of the torrential rains that pounded visitors to the annual New Orleans Jazz Festival. South-central Texas' Edward Plateau was soaked with more than 240 millimeters of rain during the period, as well. From May 4 to May 8, the National Weather Service [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ ] received approximately 683 reports of severe weather, 140 of which were reports of tornadoes, including the massive F5 [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=ddc&storyid=7828&source=0 ] tornado that devastated the city of Greensburg, Kansas. Beyond the damaging winds and tornadoes, the torrential rain triggered extensive flooding throughout the Central Plains. On the evening of May 7, flood warnings [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=crh&storyid=7865&source=0 ] were in effect from South Dakota to southern Texas, and by May 8, the Hydrologic Information Center [ http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ ] reported moderate to major flooding at 53 stream gauge sites in South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas. The floods could be as severe as the 1993 flood, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16881 ] one of the costliest floods in U.S. history, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/203d853a-www.wlos.com.shtml ] NASA image by Hal Pierce |
|
Hurricane Humberto
| Title |
Hurricane Humberto |
| Description |
Hurricane Humberto earned its name as a tropical storm on September 12, 2007. Forecasters expected it to intensify only somewhat before hitting the Texas coastline later that day. However, it surprised them by very rapidly intensifying into a Category One hurricane, [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] coming ashore early on September 13 with peak sustained winds near 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour), according to the National Hurricane Center. [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml ] The storm headed inland and arced across Louisiana, bringing heavy rains that prompted flood warnings and watches. Humberto was the third hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image of Humberto at 11:55 a.m. local time (16:55 UTC) on September 12, 2007, several hours before the storm came ashore. Hurricane Humberto had the general shape of a hurricane, with spiral arms, cloud bands, and a distinct center. It had not yet developed an obvious eye. In fact, at the time this image was acquired, Humberto had just weakened from a named tropical storm to a tropical depression. Peak winds were around 55 km/hr (35 mph). Instead of continuing to degenerate as forecasters expected, the storm very rapidly re-intensified after this image was taken. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the
…
| Title |
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the
…
| Title |
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
After forming east of the Turks and Caicos, Rita moved west and sideswiped the Florida Keys before entering the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthend into the 3rd most powerful hurricane on record (in terms of central air pressure). Rita eventually made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 3 storm. After making landfall, Rita weakened into a tropical depression and moved northeastward through central Arkansas and into southeast Missouri. The image about shows the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) rainfall totals due solely to Rita for the period September 18-26, 2005, with storm symbols marking the storm track. The highest rainfall totals are over coastal Louisiana where a swath of 8- to 10-inch amounts (yellow and orange areas) extends eastward from the Texas border to near Morgan City. Parts of the Keys and far southwestern peninsular Florida received up to 5 inches from Rita (green areas). Overall, the inland rainfall totals across the central Mississippi valley were not very high, generally less than 4 inches (light green to blue), as Rita rather quickly moved off to the northeast. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been measuring rainfall over the tropics since its launch in 1997. The TRMM-based, near-real time MPA at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global tropics. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
|
Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
Rita became a Category 5 hurricane late on September 21, 2005, with sustained wind speeds of 275 kilometers per hour (170 miles per hour), making it the fourth most powerful storm ever measured. It was easing off this strength slightly by mid-day September 22 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 12:55 p.m., U.S. Eastern time. The storm bears the markings of a powerful hurricane: it is compact and circular, though clouds have formed in the eye of the storm. This closed or "dirty" eye shape is typical of a storm which has reached its peak strength and is slackening. However, Rita remained a remarkably powerful storm. At the time this image was acquired, Rita had winds of 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) with gusts as high as 310 km/hr (195 mph). Rita is the second Category 5 storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The first was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated much of the Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama shoreline when it came ashore on August 29. Rita is expected to weaken slightly before coming ashore over the Texas or Louisiana coastline on September 23 or 24 as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). In this photo-like image, the Gulf Coast of the United States frames the open water to the north, while the Yucatan Peninsula is visible to the south. The air just below the cloud banks of Rita is remarkably clear, where wind and pressure patterns caused by the storm have banked polluted air away to the north and west. The large image has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005265-0922/Rita.A2005265.1655 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. For more information about Hurricane Rita, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] web site. NASA image courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
|
Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
Rita was building into an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 12:10 p.m., U.S. Eastern time on September 21, 2005. The storm bears the markings of a powerful hurricane: it is compact and circular, with an open eye through which the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico are visible. At the time this image was acquired, Rita had winds of 220 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) with gusts to 270 kph (170 mph). Within a few hours, the storm intensified to a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 265 kph (165 mph). Rita is the second Category 5 storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The first was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated much of the Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama shoreline when it came ashore on August 29. Rita is expected to weaken slightly before coming ashore over the Texas or Louisiana coastline on September 23 or 24 as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). In this photo-like image, the Gulf Coast of the United States frames the open water to the north, while the Yucatan Peninsula is visible to the south. MODIS detected several fires, marked with red dots, burning in the southeastern United States. The fires are probably agricultural fires. The large image has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel, from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. For more information about Hurricane Rita, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] web site. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Hurricane Rita
| Title |
Hurricane Rita |
| Description |
Hurricane Rita was slowly winding down as it approached the Louisiana and Texas shoreline on September 23, 2005. At 2:05 p.m. U.S. Central time, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Rita was a dangerous Category 3 storm, down from the near-record-breaking Category 5 hurricane it was on September 21. At its core, Rita had sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour) and stronger gusts. A mere two days earlier, the storm packed wind speeds of 275 kilometers per hour (170 miles per hour), making it the fourth most powerful storm ever measured. In this image, the outer bands of the storm already extend well over Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, affecting many regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina on August 29. Over the Gulf of Mexico, Rita's well-defined eye has clouded over. This closed or "dirty" eye shape is typical of a storm that has reached its peak strength and is slackening. Though the center of the storm is forecast to come ashore in Texas near the Louisiana border, Rita will likely have a far-reaching effect. The massive storm has hurricane-strength winds that reach 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the eye, with weaker tropical-storm-strength winds that extend as far as 335 kilometers (205 miles) from the storm's center. Rita will also bring heavy rain—up to 20 inches in some locations, the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] warns—high tides, and battering waves. For more images of Hurricane Rita, please visit the Natural Hazards [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13158 ] section of the Earth Observatory. For more information about Rita, see the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005266-0923/Rita.A2005266.1910 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel, from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. G
…
| Title |
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Hurricane Rita's fifteen-foot storm surge and heavy rains caused widespread flooding along the Louisiana coastline. The storm came ashore near the Texas and Louisiana border on September 24, 2005, and the region was still flooded two days later, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) captured the top image. In the false-color image, water is black or dark blue where it is colored with mud. The storm burst through levees lining canals, lakes and bayous throughout southeastern and central Louisiana. Water poured into low-lying areas, leaving much of the region flooded to such a degree that the large lakes that lined the coast are no longer distinguishable from each other. Though many buildings and farms have largely been destroyed, the death toll remains low because most people evacuated before the storm struck. As Rita moved inland, the storm's heaviest rains fell on Louisiana. (See Hurricane Rita [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13165 ] on the Earth Observatory for rainfall totals.) Rain-triggered flooding is obvious in the upper right corner of the image. Bare farmland formed a tan grid in the area on September 21, lower image. On September 26, standing water has turned the fields blue. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. G
…
| Title |
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Hurricane Rita's fifteen-foot storm surge and heavy rains caused widespread flooding along the Louisiana coastline. The storm came ashore near the Texas and Louisiana border on September 24, 2005, and the region was still flooded two days later, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) captured the top image. In the false-color image, water is black or dark blue where it is colored with mud. The storm burst through levees lining canals, lakes and bayous throughout southeastern and central Louisiana. Water poured into low-lying areas, leaving much of the region flooded to such a degree that the large lakes that lined the coast are no longer distinguishable from each other. Though many buildings and farms have largely been destroyed, the death toll remains low because most people evacuated before the storm struck. As Rita moved inland, the storm's heaviest rains fell on Louisiana. (See Hurricane Rita [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13165 ] on the Earth Observatory for rainfall totals.) Rain-triggered flooding is obvious in the upper right corner of the image. Bare farmland formed a tan grid in the area on September 21, lower image. On September 26, standing water has turned the fields blue. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. G
…
| Title |
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Hurricane Rita pummeled the Louisiana and Texas shoreline when it came ashore on September 24, 2005. Though the Category 3 storm spared major cities, it left much of the southwestern and central Louisiana shoreline under water. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the floods on September 25, 2005. The trailing edge of Rita's clouds, light blue and white in this false-color image, still cover the region. The shoreline resembles a line of barrier islands fringing a large bay more than the solid coast that existed four days earlier, lower image. Many of the communities most severely affected by the storm are shown in these images, including hard-hit Lake Charles and Cameron, Louisiana. Lake Charles isn't clearly visible under the clouds, but traces of dark blue beneath the clouds hint at flooding in the region. Cameron and other coastal communities like Pecan Island and Grand Chenier (located on the shore just east of the plume of smoke seen in the lower image) appear to be almost entirely under water. Offshore, sediment swirls in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, coloring the water blue in contrast to its normal inky black. The sediment is probably a combination of sludge stirred up from the ocean floor when Rita's winds and rains churned Gulf waters and run-off from the extensive flooding seen in this image. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. G
…
| Title |
Hurricane Rita Floods U.S. Gulf Coast |
| Description |
Hurricane Rita pummeled the Louisiana and Texas shoreline when it came ashore on September 24, 2005. Though the Category 3 storm spared major cities, it left much of the southwestern and central Louisiana shoreline under water. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the floods on September 25, 2005. The trailing edge of Rita's clouds, light blue and white in this false-color image, still cover the region. The shoreline resembles a line of barrier islands fringing a large bay more than the solid coast that existed four days earlier, lower image. Many of the communities most severely affected by the storm are shown in these images, including hard-hit Lake Charles and Cameron, Louisiana. Lake Charles isn't clearly visible under the clouds, but traces of dark blue beneath the clouds hint at flooding in the region. Cameron and other coastal communities like Pecan Island and Grand Chenier (located on the shore just east of the plume of smoke seen in the lower image) appear to be almost entirely under water. Offshore, sediment swirls in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, coloring the water blue in contrast to its normal inky black. The sediment is probably a combination of sludge stirred up from the ocean floor when Rita's winds and rains churned Gulf waters and run-off from the extensive flooding seen in this image. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Fires Across Southern United
…
| Title |
Fires Across Southern United States |
| Description |
This image of fires in the southern United States was captured on March 10, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Actively burning fires have been marked with red dots in Oklahoma (top left), Texas (bottom left), Arkansas (top center), Louisiana (bottom center), and (left to right across the rest of the image) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Most of us don?t think of late winter as fire season in the United States, but according to the Southern Coordination Center for the National Interagency Fire Center, just over 993,000 acres had been affected by fire in the Southern region as of March 23, 2004: 11,936 human-caused fires affected 130,385 acres, 18 lightning-caused fire affected 225 acres, and 1,084 prescribed fires (those set by land management agencies for natural resource management purposes) affected 862,772 acres. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Rain in the U.S. Midwest
| Title |
Rain in the U.S. Midwest |
| Description |
The powerful storms that moved across the U.S. Midwest during the first week of May 2007 brought wind, hail, tornadoes, and drenching rain. This image shows rainfall totals over parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska between May 1 and May 8, based in part on measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. More than 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) of rain fell over some regions, corresponding with locations where the National Weather Service reported severe weather. [ http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/070506_rpts.html ] A wide swath of red and orange (between 240 and 400 millimeters of rain) arcs in a clockwise direction from western Oklahoma, through central Kansas, and into southeastern Nebraska. The reddish-orange bull's-eye over southeastern Louisiana is evidence of the torrential rains that pounded visitors to the annual New Orleans Jazz Festival. South-central Texas' Edward Plateau was soaked with more than 240 millimeters of rain during the period, as well. From May 4 to May 8, the National Weather Service [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ ] received approximately 683 reports of severe weather, 140 of which were reports of tornadoes, including the massive F5 [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=ddc&storyid=7828&source=0 ] tornado that devastated the city of Greensburg, Kansas. Beyond the damaging winds and tornadoes, the torrential rain triggered extensive flooding throughout the Central Plains. On the evening of May 7, flood warnings [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=crh&storyid=7865&source=0 ] were in effect from South Dakota to southern Texas, and by May 8, the Hydrologic Information Center [ http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ ] reported moderate to major flooding at 53 stream gauge sites in South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas. The floods could be as severe as the 1993 flood, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16881 ] one of the costliest floods in U.S. history, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/203d853a-www.wlos.com.shtml ] NASA image by Hal Pierce. |
|
Fires in Mexico and Central
…
| Title |
Fires in Mexico and Central America |
| Description |
*large images* MODIS (1.6 MB JPEG) SeaWiFS (1.3 MB JPEG) Smoke from widespread fires in tropical Mexico and Central America appears to be drifting over the U.S. Gulf States. In 1998 similar circumstances resulted in air-quality warnings being issued in several U.S. states, including Texas and Louisiana. The top image shows smoke and fires (red pixels) observed by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Possibly hundreds of small fires are scattered across Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico?s Yucatan Peninsula. The lower image, acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), shows smoke from these fires carried by the prevailing winds across the Gulf of Mexico and over the United States. Images courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] NASA GSFC, and ORBIMAGE |
|
Fires in Mexico and Central
…
| Title |
Fires in Mexico and Central America |
| Description |
*large images* MODIS (1.6 MB JPEG) SeaWiFS (1.3 MB JPEG) Smoke from widespread fires in tropical Mexico and Central America appears to be drifting over the U.S. Gulf States. In 1998 similar circumstances resulted in air-quality warnings being issued in several U.S. states, including Texas and Louisiana. The top image shows smoke and fires (red pixels) observed by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Possibly hundreds of small fires are scattered across Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico?s Yucatan Peninsula. The lower image, acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), shows smoke from these fires carried by the prevailing winds across the Gulf of Mexico and over the United States. Images courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] NASA GSFC, and ORBIMAGE |
|
Fires in Mississippi Valley
| Title |
Fires in Mississippi Valley |
| Description |
What they lack in drama, the fires in the Southeast U.S. make up for in numbers each year. There are more fires in the Mississippi Valley, the Plains and the Southeast every year than there are out West, but they are generally much smaller and do not gain the attention of the national news media. This image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on September 16, 2003, shows dozens of actively burning fires (red dots) in the states east and west of the Mississippi River Plain, which cuts vertically through the image. States shown include (bottom row, left to right) Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. North of Louisiana, numerous fires are burning in Arkansas. Left and right of Arkansas are Oklahoma and Tennessee, respectively. Across the top (left to right) are Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky. The vegetation that is spread over the region is showing little sign of the approaching autumn equinox. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Severe Thunderstorms over th
…
| Title |
Severe Thunderstorms over the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Up to ten inches of rain fell over parts of Houston, Texas, between October 10 and October 17, 2006. The rain fell as a line of strong storms, fueled by moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the southeastern United States. Several tornados and deadly flooding were reported across the region. Four people died as a result of the flooding around Houston, said news reports. The top image shows rainfall totals over the southeastern United States for October 10 through October 17, 2006. The rainfall totals come from the near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is partially based on rainfall measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]). The highest totals, shown in red, are around 12 inches (300 millimeters) and occur over north-central Louisiana. Ten-inch (250-millimeter) amounts (lighter red) are visible north of Galveston Bay, and most of eastern Texas and western Louisiana received at least 5 inches (130 millimeters) of rain (green areas). The lower image provides a snapshot of the line of storms at 11:17 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 16 (4:17 UTC on October 17), as the storm system was passing through central Louisiana. Taken by the instruments on the TRMM satellite, the image shows rain intensity associated with the advancing line of storms. The rains are stretched out in a long, broken line of storms extending from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico through central Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi. The line of intense rain (dark reds) is relatively thin across Louisiana. A broader area of weaker rain (wide blue and green area) extends farther north. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, a unique space-borne 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. TRMM was placed into service in November of 1997. From its low-earth orbit, TRMM has been measuring rainfall over the global tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar 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). |
|
Smoke from Alaskan Fires ove
…
| Title |
Smoke from Alaskan Fires over Louisiana |
| Description |
This image of the southern United States from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite is a picture-perfect example of what meteorologists mean when they describe the atmosphere as a fluid. In the center of the image, an airborne river of smoke from fires raging across Alaska is flowing down the Mississippi River corridor and spreading out across the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, at the bottom of the scene. Thick smoke hangs over Louisiana (bottom center) as well as Texas, to the west, and Arkansas to the north. MODIS captured the image on July 19, 2004. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at GSFC |
|
Fires in Southern United Sta
…
| Title |
Fires in Southern United States |
| Description |
The combination of parched vegetation and gusty winds that caused dozens of devastating fires in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma in the first week of 2006 has brought a similar fate to a wider area of the southern United States in the second week of January. Among the newly affected states is Arkansas. This image shows the southeast corner of the state, near the border with Louisiana. Two large fires were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite when it collected this image on January 8, 2006. The image has been enhanced by the inclusion of shortwave and near-infrared energy that MODIS detected. Vegetation appears bright green, bare or thinly vegetated ground is tan, water is dark blue, and the actively burning areas of the fire appear bright pink (outlined in red). The image is shown at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] of the area in a variety of formats. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires in Southern United Sta
…
| Title |
Fires in Southern United States |
| Description |
Drought, high temperatures, and strong winds combined with holiday fireworks, trash fires, and careless cigarettes to create a disaster in parts of Texas and Oklahoma in late December 2005. According to the Associated Press, more than 70 fires blazed throughout north and central Texas and Oklahoma, many of them set by people ignoring local fire bans. By December 29, nearly 20,000 acres had burned in the region, more than 100 homes had been lost, and several people had died from fire-related injuries. This image shows parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, as imaged by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The sensor took this image on December 28, 2005, the same day that the fires caused the most damage. Cloud cover obscures part of the region, but hot spots, indicated in red, appear throughout the area, many of them sending up their own plumes of smoke. North and central Texas, where most of the fires occurred, saw its fifth driest year on record in 2005. In the Dallas-Forth Worth area, annual rainfall was about 41 centimeters (16 inches) below normal. In Oklahoma, the annual rainfall was about 30 centimeters (12 inches) below normal. Shortly before the grass fires spread throughout the region, local temperatures topped 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) and worsened the already-dry conditions. The wind and heat abated somewhat after the fires started, but the National Weather Service predicted a return of heat and wind right before New Year's Day of 2006. Authorities expressed concern that a fresh round of holiday fireworks could touch off a fresh round of fires. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rai
…
| Title |
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rains on Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
An advancing cold front supported by an upper-level trough triggered abundant showers and strong thunderstorms that brought numerous reports of hail and high winds from central Oklahoma through central Texas. The storms also dumped heavy rains over coastal portions of Texas and Louisiana, triggering localized floods, as low-level winds drew moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico. The top image gives a broad snapshot of the storms that led to the heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image at 21:29 UTC (4:29 pm CDT) on May 13, 2004. It shows a horizontal view of rain intensity. 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). TRMM shows a long, broken line of storms beginning with a squall line over southwestern Louisiana with an intense leading edge of (dark reds). The broken line of storms extends all the way back into the southern hill country of central Texas. The large TRMM image also shows a separate area of a few intense, individual thunderstorms over north central Texas. The TRMM satellite uses both passive and active sensors to measure rainfall from space. 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 for May 7-14, 2004 show peak rainfall amounts of up to 10 to 12 inches (dark red areas) across much of the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana. Moderate amounts on the order of 3 to 6 inches (green areas) cover much of Louisiana and much of central and southern Texas.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). |
|
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rai
…
| Title |
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rains on Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
An advancing cold front supported by an upper-level trough triggered abundant showers and strong thunderstorms that brought numerous reports of hail and high winds from central Oklahoma through central Texas. The storms also dumped heavy rains over coastal portions of Texas and Louisiana, triggering localized floods, as low-level winds drew moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico. The top image gives a broad snapshot of the storms that led to the heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image at 21:29 UTC (4:29 pm CDT) on May 13, 2004. It shows a horizontal view of rain intensity. 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). TRMM shows a long, broken line of storms beginning with a squall line over southwestern Louisiana with an intense leading edge of (dark reds). The broken line of storms extends all the way back into the southern hill country of central Texas. The large TRMM image also shows a separate area of a few intense, individual thunderstorms over north central Texas. The TRMM satellite uses both passive and active sensors to measure rainfall from space. 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 for May 7-14, 2004 show peak rainfall amounts of up to 10 to 12 inches (dark red areas) across much of the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana. Moderate amounts on the order of 3 to 6 inches (green areas) cover much of Louisiana and much of central and southern Texas.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). |
|
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rai
…
| Title |
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rains on Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
An advancing cold front supported by an upper-level trough triggered abundant showers and strong thunderstorms that brought numerous reports of hail and high winds from central Oklahoma through central Texas. The storms also dumped heavy rains over coastal portions of Texas and Louisiana, triggering localized floods, as low-level winds drew moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico. The top image gives a broad snapshot of the storms that led to the heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image at 21:29 UTC (4:29 pm CDT) on May 13, 2004. It shows a horizontal view of rain intensity. 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). TRMM shows a long, broken line of storms beginning with a squall line over southwestern Louisiana with an intense leading edge of (dark reds). The broken line of storms extends all the way back into the southern hill country of central Texas. The large TRMM image also shows a separate area of a few intense, individual thunderstorms over north central Texas. The TRMM satellite uses both passive and active sensors to measure rainfall from space. 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 for May 7-14, 2004 show peak rainfall amounts of up to 10 to 12 inches (dark red areas) across much of the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana. Moderate amounts on the order of 3 to 6 inches (green areas) cover much of Louisiana and much of central and southern Texas.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). |
|
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rai
…
| Title |
Strong Storms Dump Heavy Rains on Texas and Louisiana |
| Description |
An advancing cold front supported by an upper-level trough triggered abundant showers and strong thunderstorms that brought numerous reports of hail and high winds from central Oklahoma through central Texas. The storms also dumped heavy rains over coastal portions of Texas and Louisiana, triggering localized floods, as low-level winds drew moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico. The top image gives a broad snapshot of the storms that led to the heavy rains. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured this image at 21:29 UTC (4:29 pm CDT) on May 13, 2004. It shows a horizontal view of rain intensity. 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). TRMM shows a long, broken line of storms beginning with a squall line over southwestern Louisiana with an intense leading edge of (dark reds). The broken line of storms extends all the way back into the southern hill country of central Texas. The large TRMM image also shows a separate area of a few intense, individual thunderstorms over north central Texas. The TRMM satellite uses both passive and active sensors to measure rainfall from space. 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 for May 7-14, 2004 show peak rainfall amounts of up to 10 to 12 inches (dark red areas) across much of the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana. Moderate amounts on the order of 3 to 6 inches (green areas) cover much of Louisiana and much of central and southern Texas.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). |
|
Thunderstorms Across the Sou
…
| Title |
Thunderstorms Across the Southern US |
| Description |
An advancing frontal system has brought heavy rains to the Mississippi Valley region and the northern Gulf Coast. Low pressure over the central plains tapped into abundant gulf moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to produce numerous storms ahead of an advancing cold front. Deep-layer southerly winds in front of the low transported warm, moist air up from the Gulf northward into the Mississippi Valley. Storms that formed within this moist air ahead of the cold front deposited significant amounts of rain from eastern Texas up through the Mississippi Valley and over to the Florida panhandle. The continuous regeneration of storms all the way down into the Gulf of Mexico combined with their movement to the north led to an effect known as "training" whereby several different storms pass over the same area. This can lead to significant rainfall accumulations. This image shows rainfall totals for the period 12 to 19 November 2003 from the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A swath of moderate rainfall (green region) of 3-inch plus rainfall extends from East Texas across Louisiana up through the Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley with locally heavier amounts of near 8 inches (in red). A similar pattern extends back into western Missouri and into northeastern Illinois. Moderate amounts fell over the Gulf Coast region from southern Mississippi across the Florida panhandle.TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] 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) |
|
Thunderstorms in Texas
| Title |
Thunderstorms in Texas |
| Description |
Torrential rainfall in southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana on June 19, 2006, caused extensive flooding. The rains caused waist-high flooding in the Houston area, according to news reports. A surface and upper-level trough (a region of low atmospheric pressure) along the Texas and Louisiana coast generated heavy showers and thunderstorms. The image above shows rainfall totals based in part on measurements taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite from June 13-19, 2006. The highest amounts shown on the image are more than 228 millimeters (about 9 inches). The heaviest rains occurred over north-central Texas and on the Gulf Coast along the Texas-Louisiana state line. The animations provided above show the day-by-day accumulation of rain. TRMM was launched in November 1997. The rainfall analysis above is from TRMM-calibrated precipitation estimates called Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA). The MPA estimates were developed by the precipitation research team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Images and caption produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
|
Thunderstorms in Texas
| Title |
Thunderstorms in Texas |
| Description |
Torrential rainfall in southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana on June 19, 2006, caused extensive flooding. The rains caused waist-high flooding in the Houston area, according to news reports. A surface and upper-level trough (a region of low atmospheric pressure) along the Texas and Louisiana coast generated heavy showers and thunderstorms. The image above shows rainfall totals based in part on measurements taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite from June 13-19, 2006. The highest amounts shown on the image are more than 228 millimeters (about 9 inches). The heaviest rains occurred over north-central Texas and on the Gulf Coast along the Texas-Louisiana state line. The animations provided above show the day-by-day accumulation of rain. TRMM was launched in November 1997. The rainfall analysis above is from TRMM-calibrated precipitation estimates called Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA). The MPA estimates were developed by the precipitation research team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Images and caption produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
|
Thunderstorms in Texas
| Title |
Thunderstorms in Texas |
| Description |
Torrential rainfall in southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana on June 19, 2006, caused extensive flooding. The rains caused waist-high flooding in the Houston area, according to news reports. A surface and upper-level trough (a region of low atmospheric pressure) along the Texas and Louisiana coast generated heavy showers and thunderstorms. The image above shows rainfall totals based in part on measurements taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite from June 13-19, 2006. The highest amounts shown on the image are more than 228 millimeters (about 9 inches). The heaviest rains occurred over north-central Texas and on the Gulf Coast along the Texas-Louisiana state line. The animations provided above show the day-by-day accumulation of rain. TRMM was launched in November 1997. The rainfall analysis above is from TRMM-calibrated precipitation estimates called Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA). The MPA estimates were developed by the precipitation research team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Images and caption produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
|
Tropical Storm Allison
| Title |
Tropical Storm Allison |
| Description |
The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially began June 1 and almost on cue Tropical Storm Allison formed June 5 in the northwest Gulf of Mexico. A slow-moving storm with sustained winds around 60 miles per hour (97 km per hour), Allison made her way steadily northwestward toward Galveston, Texas. Quite extensive in her reach, Allison packed tropical storm-force winds up to 90 miles (145 km) from the center of the storm. Like an uninvited guest who doesn't know when to leave, Allison is still hanging around a week after she formed, still drawing in moisture from the Gulf and thoroughly soaking the Gulf Coast states from Texas to Florida. In Houston, Texas, Allison dropped as much as 25 inches of rain over the weekend. She dropped another two feet of water in many parts of southern Louisiana. The storm has caused at least 20 fatalities, due to the flooding, high winds and one caused by lightning. In southeastern Texas, roughly 3,500 homes have been damaged by flood waters and many counties have been declared disaster areas. Officials estimate the damage in Texas alone will exceed $1 billion. In this true-color image acquired on June 11 by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, the storm center appears to be located over the Mississippi-Alabama border. Allison continues to move slowly toward the northeast. Today (June 12) her effects are still being felt in the southeastern states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. Meanwhile, the hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University, led by professor William Gray, revised its prediction for the Atlantic Hurricane season. They expect there will be 12 tropical storms this year (up from their original estimate of 10), 7 hurricanes (up from 6), and 3 major hurricanes (up from 2). Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modland.nascom.nasa.gov/ ] Rapid Response Team |
|
Tornadoes in Oklahoma and Mi
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Midwest_TRM_2008091
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Midwest_TRM_2008091 |
|
Floods in the U.S. Midwest:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
An early spring storm system
…
midwest_TRM_2008mar13-20
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
midwest_TRM_2008mar13-20 |
|
Growing-Season Fires in Cent
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Agricultural burning in prep
…
CentralUS.AMOA2004091
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
CentralUS.AMOA2004091 |
|
Fires in Southern United Sta
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The combination of parched v
…
Arkansas_fire.AMO2006008
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-01-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Arkansas_fire.AMO2006008 |
|
|
