Research on rainfall and the water cycle. Covers climate-driven precipitation, hurricanes and storms, moisture transport, and extreme-weather forecasting.
Tropical Depression 8 is expected to produce heavy rainfall across Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, with total accumulations of 3-5 inches possible. Isolated areas may see up to 8 inches, posing a risk of flash flooding and mudslides.
NASA satellite data shows strong convection in both Tropical Storm Fernanda and Hurricane Greg, making them match in size. Both systems are moving towards the western coast of Mexico.
Tropical Storms Fernanda and Greg are chasing each other in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Fernanda appears more organized and stronger, while Greg is still developing its signature shape. Greg has moderate to heavy rainfall along the southwestern Mexico coastline.
The TRMM satellite captured rainfall data on four areas in the Atlantic Ocean that have potential for developing into tropical cyclones. System 92L and 93L show improved organization, but no surface circulation has formed yet.
The RainGain project aims to provide detailed precipitation and flooding data on an urban scale. TU Delft will utilize rain radar technology to measure local precipitation patterns in Rotterdam and other partner cities, enabling more effective urban water management and flood protection strategies.
Typhoon Muifa is almost twice as large as Tropical Storm Merbok, with winds extending 220 miles from its center. The storms were captured side-by-side by NASA's Aqua satellite on August 5, 2011, showing Muifa's well-defined eye and stronger organization.
A study published in Science found that East Africa's climate has been under the spell of El Niño for thousands of years, with significant impacts on rainfall patterns. The research, led by Axel Timmermann and Gerald Haug, used sediment layers from Lake Challa to reconstruct the history of East African rainfall back to the Last Ice Age.
Researchers found that La Nina's cold phase leads to marginal rainfall and stronger winds in East Africa, while El Niño warm phase causes weak wind conditions with frequent rain. The study tracked climate variations to the last ice age using Lake Challa sediment cores.
Heavy rainfall and gusty winds are expected from Tropical Storm Don as it approaches landfall in southeastern Texas. NASA's satellite images reveal powerful thunderstorms and cold cloud tops surrounding the storm's center, with rainfall totals reaching up to 5 inches in some areas.
Tropical Storm Muifa has grown in size, with cloud top temperatures indicating strong storms and heavy rainfall. The storm is expected to strengthen over the next couple of days as it moves north across the Pacific.
Tropical Storm Nock-ten's intense convection is intensifying as it moves through the South China Sea, feeding on warm waters. The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall, local flooding, gusty winds, and rough surf along coastal areas in Hainan Island and Vietnam.
Tropical Storm Nock-ten has been a big rainmaker across the Philippines for two days, with NASA tracking its heavy rainfall using TRMM satellite data. The storm's 3-D image revealed towering convective storms near the center of circulation, extending to heights above 15km, associated with future strengthening.
Tropical Depression 11W exhibits a significant temperature contrast between its cold cloud tops (-63°F) and warm sea surface (80°F), with a difference of 143 degrees. The storm is expected to intensify into a typhoon and recurve to the northeast, posing threats to Yap State (Micronesia).
The tenth tropical depression has formed in the western North Pacific Ocean, bringing rains to the central Philippines as observed on infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite. The system is moving northwest at 9 knots and is expected to slowly intensify over the next two days, making landfall northeast of Hong Kong later this week.
Researchers found that Pacific Northwest conifers face significant water stress during winter due to freeze-thaw cycles, which disrupts water flow. This challenges the conventional view of summer as the most stressful season for these trees.
Researchers developed a model that mimics three predator-prey modes to understand cloud-rain interactions, finding that aerosols affect cloud formation and precipitation. The study provides new insights into the complex relationships between clouds, rain, and aerosols, shedding light on climate patterns and human-induced changes.
Landsat satellites have been monitoring the Missouri River for extended periods, showing heavy rains and snowmelt causing prolonged flooding. The USGS WaterWatch website provides real-time streamflow data, highlighting the devastating impact of the flood on the region.
Two NASA satellites confirmed Tropical Storm Bret's heaviest rainfall on the eastern side of the storm, with one satellite measuring powerful thunderstorms. The storms' strength was indicated by cloud-top temperatures measured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder.
Typhoon Ma-on's strong thunderstorms caused rough surf, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall along eastern coastal Japan. The storm weakened as it interacted with land and wind shear increased.
Typhoon Ma-on has brought heavy rainfall to Guam, with NASA satellite data detecting powerful thunderstorms containing rainfall rates of 2 inches/50 mm per hour. The National Weather Service has issued urban and small stream flood advisories until 2 a.m. CHST.
Decreasing autumn and winter rainfall over southern Australia is attributed to a 50-year decrease in storm intensity. The trend is linked to reductions in the strength of the mid-latitude jet stream and changes in atmospheric temperatures.
Tropical Storm Arlene made landfall near Cabo Rojo in northeastern Mexico on June 30 at 7 a.m. EDT, moving westward with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. The storm caused significant rainfall, leading to flash flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas.
Tropical Depression Meari is weakening due to wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures as it approaches North Korea, with moderate rainfall observed by NASA's TRMM satellite. The system is expected to fall apart over the Hamgyeong Mountain Range, potentially regenerating in the Sea of Japan
Heavy rains in Canada caused historic flooding in Minot, N.D., with over 4,000 homes and businesses affected. The Souris River reached nearly four feet higher than its all-time high set in 1881.
Tropical Storm Haima is expected to bring heavy rains to Vietnam this weekend. The storm has regained minimal tropical storm status with powerful thunderstorms south of its center, moving west through the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.
Heavy rainfall is expected in southern Taiwan, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and Hainan Island as Tropical Depression Haima nears Hong Kong. NASA's AIRS instrument captures strong rain-making thunderstorms on the storm's southern quadrant, indicating very high, cold cloud tops and likely heavy rainfall.
Hurricane Beatriz developed an eye that opened on microwave imagery but closed on visible imagery, appearing to give satellites a 'wink' as it brought heavy rains and high surf to the southwestern Mexican coast. The storm strengthened into a hurricane by June 20 night and made landfall near Manzanillo, Mexico.
Tropical Storm Beatriz is strengthening towards hurricane status, according to NASA satellite imagery, which revealed powerful thunderstorms and cloud tops cooling. The storm is expected to bring excessive rainfall, life-threatening flash floods, and mudslides to southwestern Mexico.
System 92E is a low-pressure area in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that has gained organization and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm. Favorable environmental conditions, including warm sea surface temperatures and light vertical wind shear, are contributing to its development.
Tropical Depression 06W has developed near the Philippines with heavy rainfall detected by NASA's TRMM satellite. The storm is expected to intensify into a tropical storm, skirt the eastern coast of the Philippines and head toward Taiwan.
The NASA Goddard FLICKR image gallery showcases a massive ash plume from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile, tracked by multiple satellites over six days. The plume was seen circling the southern hemisphere, affecting air travel and rainfall, with ash falling as far away as Australia.
A new study using satellite observations and high-resolution images found that brief changes in soil moisture can affect storm generation in the Sahel region of West Africa. This could lead to improved predictive modeling for crops, which are crucial for the people affected by droughts in the area.
Tropical Storm Sarika is bringing heavy rainfall to the South China Sea, with satellite imagery showing strongest thunderstorms south of the storm's center. Infrared satellite imagery reveals a fully exposed low-level circulation center, weakening the storm's circulation.
A low-pressure system stretching over the Caribbean Sea is causing heavy rainfall and flooding in various islands. The GOES-13 satellite captured an image of System 94L on June 9, revealing a minimum central pressure of 1001 millibars and cloud cover centered over eastern Cuba and Jamaica.
Tropical Storm Adrian forms in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, strengthening with high cloud tops and moderate rainfall, triggering a tropical storm watch in Mexico. The storm is forecast to reach hurricane strength by the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Depression 1E forms near Acapulco, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph and a minimum central pressure of 1006 millibars. TRMM data reveals hot towers reaching heights of up to 16 km, indicating intense energy within the storm.
Researchers from Columbia University found that evaporation from the land surface can modify the frequency of summertime rainfall, but not its quantity. This discovery is crucial for understanding prolongation of hydrological extremes like floods and droughts.
A low pressure area in the far western Caribbean Sea shows signs of tropical cyclone development, with a near zero percent chance over the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. A second low pressure area is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flash flooding to Jamaica, Haiti, and other parts of the Caribbean.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene found that increases in rain and temperature can predict cholera outbreaks months ahead. A mere 1°C increase in average monthly minimum temperature doubles the number of cholera cases within four months.
Typhoon Songda weakened to a depression with maximum sustained winds near 30 knots (34 mph/55 kmh) as it moved northeast at 26 knots (30 mph/48 kmh). The NASA satellites provided crucial forecast insights into the storm's behavior, capturing its rainfall totals and wave heights.
A NASA infrared satellite captured a powerful storm system over northwestern Georgia, revealing very strong thunderstorms with icy cold cloud tops. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument measured cloud top temperatures as cold as -63 Fahrenheit/-52 Celsius, indicating the potential for intense rainfall and damage.
Typhoon Songda intensified into a super typhoon with wind speeds estimated at over 130 knots, causing heavy rainfall and rough seas in the Philippines and nearby regions. NASA's TRMM satellite captured detailed images of the storm's circular eye and rain bands.
Typhoon Songda intensified into a major typhoon over the northern Philippines due to warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear. The TRMM satellite provided detailed rainfall analysis using its Microwave Imager and Precipitation Radar instruments, showing well-organized bands of heavy rainfall converging into the storm.
The TRMM satellite detected a large area of heavy rainfall in the supercell thunderstorm that spawned the Joplin tornado. Rainfall rates exceeded 2 inches per hour, indicating a strong storm system.
Tropical Storm Songda has strengthened over the past few days, with maximum sustained winds reaching 69 mph. The storm is expected to continue intensifying, but its center will remain offshore from Luzon, Philippines. Gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and rough surf are forecast for the western side of the storm.
Tropical Storm 04W is growing rapidly with towering thunderstorms reaching up to 10 miles high, according to NASA's TRMM satellite data. The storm is predicted to strengthen into a Category 2 typhoon by May 25, posing potential threats to the northern Philippines.
A team of scientists found that reptiles and mammals lived in separate areas due to differences in water availability, with reptiles thriving in drier temperate zones and mammals in water-rich tropical regions. This study helps predict the impact of climate change on mammal species distribution.
A 2,300-year climate record reveals sharp drops in tropical monsoon rainfall since 1900, leading to severe droughts and water shortages. The study suggests that rising Northern Hemisphere temperatures are drawing the Intertropical Convergence Zone north, reducing rainfall on which tropical areas rely.
The TRMM satellite detected massive thunderstorms and very heavy rainfall along a powerful cold front moving through the eastern United States on April 28, 2011. Tornadoes spawned by these storms caused significant loss of life, with at least 128 deaths in Alabama and 15 in Georgia.
Scientists use a field campaign to study convective clouds and their role in generating significant rainfall. The Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) combines data from various sources to better understand precipitation physics and improve satellite algorithms.
Tropical Storm Errol has strengthened overnight and developed into a well-defined center of circulation, with strong thunderstorms and cold cloud tops. The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall, rough surf, and gusty winds along the northern coast of Western Australia.
A University of Guelph study found that male birds that stay behind gain better breeding sites and are more attractive to females, leading to increased mating success. In contrast, migrating birds are often in poorer condition and less likely to survive the heavy rains.
A new study using satellite data shows that the 2010 drought caused a dramatic decline in Amazon forest health, with over 2.5 million square kilometers affected. The researchers used computer models and real-time processing of massive amounts of satellite data to analyze the impact of the drought.
Researchers discover unique ocean current rings off Brazil's coast, with properties including size, speed, depth, and rotation velocity. Additionally, scientists capture detailed profiles of ice water content in the Martian near-surface atmosphere, revealing thickest concentrations at 50 meters above the surface.
The Cassini spacecraft has observed methane rain on Titan's equatorial deserts, revealing the first current evidence of rain soaking Titan's surface at low latitudes. This finding suggests that recent weather on Titan is similar to Earth's tropical regions.
The NASA Aqua and TRMM satellites detected heavy rain and strong thunderstorms in Sub-tropical Storm Arani, with cloud top temperatures as cold as -63F. The storm's strongest thunderstorms reached heights of over 14 km above the surface, producing powerful rainfall.
The TRMM satellite measured record rainfall totals of over 300 mm (~11 inches) in Alabama and Mississippi, with eastern US experiencing 50 mm (~2 inches) or more. Flooding was reported from Louisiana to northern New York, with some areas receiving daily records
Satellites like GOES-13 and NASA's Aqua satellite captured images of a huge cold front stretching from Minnesota to Louisiana, generating tornadoes and heavy rainfall. The storm system is expected to bring up to 1 quarter inch more rain to the eastern US, with potential flooding in various areas.
A study by US Department of Agriculture scientists found that no-till production systems can significantly reduce soil erosion and enhance efforts to protect water quality. The research compared runoff, soil erosion, and crop yields in conventional and no-till winter wheat-fallow systems.
Tropical Cyclone Atu formed over New Caledonia on February 21, intensifying into a powerful storm with maximum sustained winds of 95 knots before weakening. The cyclone dissipated north of New Zealand by February 25, its life spanning just four days.