Hal Pierce

Strong winds and flooding associated with tropical storm Cristobal have caused deaths in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Rainfall data for the first image above was captured by the TRMM satellite on August 24, 2014 at 1150Z (7:50 AM EDT). Tropical depression four was upgraded to tropical storm Cristobal a short time after that TRMM view. The next image uses data received by TRMM a day later on August 25, 2014 at 1230 UTC ( 8:30 AM EDT). Cristobal was a sheared tropical cyclone with a rain free center so a red tropical storm symbol was used to clarify the location of Cristobal's

Tropical cyclones are frequently forming during this active hurricane season in the eastern and central Pacific ocean. As hurricane Julio was fading in the central Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, hurricane Karina was forming on August 13, 2013 off the Mexican coast. The TRMM satellite passed directly above the center of intensifying tropical storm Karina on August 14, 2014 at 1927 UTC. A rainfall analysis that used data from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) is shown overlaid on a GOES-WEST image received at 1930 UTC. TRMM TMI showed that storms near Karina's center were dropping rain at a rate of

Iselle was once a rather powerful category 4 hurricane in the East Pacific with sustained winds estimated at 120 knots (~138 mph) by the National Hurricane Center. Fortunately, a combination of southwesterly wind shear, drier air and cooler waters weakened Iselle considerably as it approached the Hawaiian Islands. Although much weaker, Iselle still struck the southeast Kau coast of the Big Island of Hawaii as a rather strong tropical storm. In fact Iselle, was the strongest and only the 2nd tropical storm to hit the Big Island in over 50 years. The center made landfall around 2:30 am HST

Hurricane Iselle weakened to a tropical storm while approaching the island of Hawaii on Thursday August 7, 2014. As a tropical storm Iselle contained some heavy rain showers and strong winds when it hit the big island. Iselle later dropped some heavy rain over Maui and scattered showers extended to Kauai and Oahu. The TRMM satellite had an excellent view of tropical storm Iselle as it neared the Hawaiian islands on August 8, 2014 at 0152 UTC ( August 7 at 3:52 PM HST). A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments is shown overlaid on a 0200

The TRMM satellite saw both weakening hurricane Iselle and category two hurricane Julio in the same orbit as they were moving toward the Hawaiian islands on August 7, 2014 at 0922Z. This image shows data collected by TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) instrument with the orbit containing both hurricanes located in the center of the image. Microwave brightness temperatures at 85.5 GHZ and at 37.0 GHZ were combined in the red, green and blue components to construct the image. Recent forecasts of tracks for hurricane Julio and tropical storm Iselle are shown overlaid in white and red respectively.

Hurricane Iselle has weakened from a very dangerous category four hurricane on August 4, 2014 to a category one hurricane when the TRMM satellite passed over on August 6, 2014 at 1020 UTC. Rainfall data from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) are shown overlaid on an enhanced infrared image from the 1000 UTC GOES-WEST satellite. TRMM TMI showed that heavy rainfall was occurring around the filling eye. TRMM TMI indicated that the most intense rain was falling at a rate of over 43.5 mm (about 1.7 inches) in a band southwest of the eye. The second image is an animation

Typhoon Halong was a very dangerous category 5 typhoon a few days ago. Halong was still a strong violent category 2 typhoon with winds of 85kts (about 98 mph) when the TRMM satellite saw it on August 5, 2014 at 1550 UTC. Rainfall derived from TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data is shown overlaid on an enhanced MTSAT infrared image received at 1600 UTC. Rain was shown by TRMM PR to be falling at a rate of over 87 mm (about 3.4 inches) per hour south of the Halong's eye. Typhoon Halong is predicted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to hit southern Japan with

The hurricane season in the eastern Pacific Ocean has been very active this year. Eleven named tropical cyclones have already formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Tropical storm Julio that formed yesterday is following almost the same path as hurricane Iselle toward the central Pacific and the Hawaiian Islands. The TRMM satellite flew over tropical storm Julio on August 5, 2014 at 0944 UTC and collected data used in these images. The first image shows a rainfall analysis derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) overlaid on an enhanced GOES-WEST image received at

The TRMM satellite flew directly over the eye of powerful hurricane Iselle on August 4, 2014 at 1037 UTC. Iselle had winds of about 120kts (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 is shown overlaid on a GOES-WEST enhanced infrared image captured at 1030 UTC. Rain was found by TRMM PR to be falling at a rate of almost 182 mm (about 7.2 inches) per hour in Iselle's eye wall. Hurricane Iselle is predicted by the National Hurricane

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded a well defined low pressure center east-southeast of Barbados to tropical storm Bertha on July 31, 2014 at 0300 UTC (11 PM AST). Bertha's development is inhibited by vertical wind shear that may weaken as the tropical storm moves over the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The TRMM satellite had an excellent view of tropical storm Bertha on August 1, 2014 at 0713 UTC (3:13 AM AST). Rainfall from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) with this TRMM pass is shown overlaid on a GOES-EAST enhanced infrared image received at 0715 UTC. Those