GPM Explores Hurricane Gonzalo

  • Released Thursday, October 16, 2014
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Animation revealing a swath of GPM/GMI precipitation rates over Hurricane Gonzalo. As the camera moves in on the storm, DPR's volumetric view of the storm is revealed. A slicing plane moves across the volume to display precipitation rates throughout the storm. Shades of green to red represent liquid precipitation extending down to the ground.

On October 16th, 2014 (1342 UTC) the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's Core Observatory flew over Hurricane Gonzalo as it headed towards Bermuda. Hurricane Gonzalo remains a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, with maximum sustained winds at 130 mph. As of 12:00 UTC (8:00a.m. EDT) on Friday, October 17th, the National Hurricane Center forecast located the storm about 195 miles south southwest of Bermuda, where a hurricane warning is in effect.

The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which defines a crucial part of the storm structure – and how it will behave. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs. The Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar provides the three-dimensional view, showing the structure of the storm spiraling inward toward the center, with heavier rain on the north side of the storm. Shades of blue represent ice in the upper part of clouds. Viewed from the side, the stark color change from blue to green marks the transition from ice to rain.

For forecasters, GPM's microwave and radar data are part of the toolbox of satellite data, including other low Earth orbit and geostationary satellites, that they use to monitor tropical cyclones and hurricanes.

The addition of GPM data to the current suite of satellite data is timely. Its predecessor precipitation satellite, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, is 18 years into what was originally a three-year mission. GPM's new high-resolution microwave imager data and the unique radar data ensure that forecasters and modelers won't have a gap in coverage. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. All GPM data products can be found at NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing Center website http://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation.

Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation.

Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

Print resolution still of GPM's pass over Hurricane Gonzalo as the storm approaches Bermuda.

Print resolution still of GPM's pass over Hurricane Gonzalo as the storm approaches Bermuda.

Print resolution still of GPM's pass over Hurricane Gonzalo as the storm approaches Bermuda. The storm is expected to pass near Bermuda on Friday October 17th.

Print resolution still of GPM's pass over Hurricane Gonzalo as the storm approaches Bermuda. The storm is expected to pass near Bermuda on Friday October 17th.

Print resolution still of GPM/GMI rain rate data on October 16th, 2014 (1342 UTC)

Print resolution still of GPM/GMI rain rate data on October 16th, 2014 (1342 UTC)

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying only the high density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying only the high density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high and mid-level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high to low level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high to low level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high to low level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of GPM GMI and DPR data, displaying high to low level density regions of the storm.

Print resolution still of Hurricane Gonzalo being scanned through the center of the DPR data showing the inner volumetric rain rates.

Print resolution still of Hurricane Gonzalo being scanned through the center of the DPR data showing the inner volumetric rain rates.

Print resolution still of Hurricane Gonzalo being scanned through the center of the DPR data showing the inner volumetric rain rates.

Print resolution still of Hurricane Gonzalo being scanned through the center of the DPR data showing the inner volumetric rain rates.

Print resolution side-view image of Hurricane Gonzalo.

Print resolution side-view image of Hurricane Gonzalo.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, October 16, 2014.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:50 PM EDT.

Missions

This page is related to the following missions:

Series

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Datasets used

  • Rain Rates (Surface Precipitation) [GPM: GMI]

    ID: 822
    Sensor: GMI

    Credit: Data provided by the joint NASA/JAXA GPM mission.

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • Volumetric Precipitation data (Ku) [GPM: DPR]

    ID: 830
    Type: Observed Data Sensor: DPR Collected by: JAXA

    Credit: Data provided by the joint NASA/JAXA GPM mission.

    See all pages that use this dataset

Note: While we identify the data sets used on this page, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.