NASA TRMM Satellite: Heavy Storms in the eye of Hurricane Iselle - video

NASA's TRMM Satellite found storms in Iselle's eye wall reaching from 13km (8 miles) high and very heavy rain falling at a rate of almost 182 mm (about 7.2 inches) per hour in Iselle's eye wall. Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce


NASA's TRMM Satellite found storms in Iselle's eye wall reaching from 13km (8 miles) high and very heavy rain falling at a rate of almost 182 mm (about 7.2 inches) per hour in Iselle's eye wall. 

Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM) flew directly over the eye of powerful Hurricane Iselle and found extremely heavy rainfall rates occurring there.

On August 4, 2014 at 1037 UTC (6:37 a.m. EDT) when TRMM passed over the storm, Iselle had winds of about 120 knots (about 138 mph) at that time making it a dangerous category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments was overlaid on an enhanced infrared image from NOAA's GOES-West satellite that showed cloud extent.

The composite image showed the diameter of the storm and the rate in which rain was falling within it.

The TRMM PR saw rain falling at a rate of almost 182 mm (about 7.2 inches) per hour in Iselle's eye wall.

TRMM data was also used to create a 3-D image of the storm to help forecasters see cloud heights.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, a 3-D image was produced using radar reflectivity values from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument. 

The 3-D image showed storms in Iselle's eye wall reaching from 13km (8 miles) to the surface of the ocean below.

NASA TRMM: Tropical Cyclone Ita's Australian encounter

This TRMM satellite rainfall map covers Tropical Cyclone Ita's life from April 1-14. 

Highest isolated rainfall was estimated around 400 mm/15.7 inches west of both Ingham and Townsville, Queensland. 

Ita's locations at 0600 UTC are shown overlaid in white. 

Credit: SSAI/NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

After coming ashore on April 11, Tropical Cyclone Ita dropped heavy rainfall over the weekend that caused flooding in many areas of northeastern Australia's state of Queensland.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM) satellite gathered data on rainfall that was used to create a rainfall map at NASA.

TRMM satellite

TRMM satellite is managed by both NASA and JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Hal Pierce created a TRMM-based near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA).

The TMPA precipitation data covered the period from April 1 to 14, 2014 which starts when Ita formed in the Coral Sea and moved along northeastern Australia's coast.

This TRMM satellite rainfall map estimated that some of the largest isolated rainfall totals were near 400 mm/15.7 inches west of both Ingham and Townsville, Queensland.

A 3-D image of Ita was made at NASA using data collected by the TRMM satellite on April 14, 2014 at 0416 UTC/12:16 a.m. EDT after the tropical storm moved back into the Coral Sea.

TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument found that the weakening tropical cyclone was still dropping rainfall at a maximum rate of over 161 mm/6.3 inches per hour over the Coral Sea.

The 3-D image, created using TRMM PR data, showed that some storms within Ita were still reaching heights of over 13 km/8 miles as it was becoming extra-tropical.

NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite

Another NASA-shared satellite captured a visible look at Ita's remnants on April 15. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a look at the dying extra-tropical storm.

VIIRS collects visible and infrared imagery and global observations of land, atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans.

This 3-D image shows the structure of Tropical Cyclone Ita on April 14 at 0416 UTC/12:16 a.m. EDT. 

Some storms within Ita were still reaching heights of over 13 km/8 miles. 

Credit: SSAI/NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

When Suomi flew over Extra-Tropical Storm Ita on April 15 at 3:53 UTC/April 14 at 11:53 p.m. EDT, VIIRS visible data revealed that Ita's structure had elongated more than the previous day.

The VIIRS image showed that strong northwesterly wind shear continued to hammer the storm because the bulk of the storm's clouds were pushed southeast of the center.

Tropical Cyclone Ita's remnants have taken on more of a frontal appearance today as they continue to weaken at sea.

This visible image of an elongated Tropical Cyclone Ita was taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite on April 15 at 3:53 UTC and shows that wind shear has blown most clouds and thunderstorms south of the center. 

Credit: NRL/NASA/NOAA