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This visualization uses a combination of NASA satellite data and models to show how and why the monsoon develops over this region. In the summer the land gets hotter, heating the atmosphere and pulling in cooler, moisture-laden air from the oceans. This causes pulses in heavy rainfall throughout the region. In the winter the land cools off and winds move towards the warmer ocean and suppressing rainfall on land.
This is an abridged version of a longer narrated visualization.
First data visualization of the three-dimensional structure of precipitation collected by the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar aboard the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's Core Observatory. The image shows rain rates across a vertical cross-section approximately 4.4 miles (7 kilometers) high through an extra-tropical cyclone observed off the coast of Japan on March 10, 2014. The DPR 152-mile (245 kilometers) wide swath is nested within the center of the GPM Microwave Imager's wider observation path. Red areas indicate heavy rainfall while yellow and blue indicate less intense rainfall. The GPM Core Observatory collects precipitation information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours.
The storms that appear in order are as follows:
1. New England Nor’easter – January 26 – New England, USA
2. Snowstorm – February 17 – Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina, USA
3. Tornadic Thunderstorms in Midwest – March 25 – Oklahoma and Arkansas, USA
4. Typhoon Maysak – March 30 – Yap Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean
5. Rain Accumulation from Cyclone Quang – April 28 through May 3 - Australia
6. Flooding in Central Texas and Oklahoma – May 19 through May 26 - USA
7. Hurricane Blanca – June 1 – Eastern Pacific Ocean, Baja Peninsula, Mexico
8. Tropical Storm Ashobaa – June 8 – Arabian Sea
9. Tropical Storm Carlos – June 12 – Southwestern Coast, Mexico
10. Tropical Storm Bill – June 16 – Texas, USA
11. USA Rain Accumulation – June through July - USA
12. Tropical Storm Raquel – July 1 – Solomon Islands, South Pacific Ocean
13. Tropical Storm Claudette – July 13 – North Atlantic Ocean
14. Typhoon Nangka – July 15 - Japan
15. Hurricane Delores Remnants Rainfall – July 13 through 20 – Southwestern USA
16. Typhoon Halola – July 21 - Japan
17. Typhoon Soudelor – August 5 – Taiwan and China
18. Hurricane/Typhoon Kilo – August 23 through September 9 – Hawaii and Pacific Ocean
19. Tropical Storm Erika – August 26 – Caribbean Sea
20. Tropical Storm Fred – August 30 – Cape Verde
21. Tropical Depression Nine – September 16 – Central Atlantic Ocean
22. Tropical Storm Ida – September 21 – Central Atlantic Ocean
23. Tropical Storm Niala – September 25 – Hawaii and Pacific Ocean
24. Tropical Storm Marty – September 27 – Southwestern Coast, Mexico
25. Typhoon Dujuan – September 22 through September 29 – Taiwan and China
26. Hurricane Joaquin – September 29 – Caribbean Sea
27. Typhoon Koppu – October 15 - Philippines
28. Hurricane Patricia – October 22 – Texas, USA
29. Tropical Cyclone Chapala – October 28 through November 3 – Yemen and Arabian Sea
30. Tropical Cyclone Megh – November 8 – Yemen and Arabian Sea
31. Typhoon IN-FA – November 19 – Western Pacific Ocean
32. Hurricane Sandra – November 26 – Eastern Pacific Ocean
33. India Flooding – November 28 through December 4 – Tamil Nadu, India
34. Winter Storm Desmond – November 30 through December 7 – United Kingdom
35. Tropical Cyclone 05S – December 9 – Reunion and Mauritius, South Indian Ocean
36. Super Typhoon Melor – December 12 - Philippines
37. Tornadoes and Flooding in Midwest – December 21 through December 28 – Midwestern USA
38. Paraguay Flooding – December 22 through December 29 – Asuncion, Paraguay
39. Tropical Depression 95P – December 29 – Pacific Ocean
40. Tropical Cyclone 06P (ULA) – December 30 – Samoa, South Pacific Ocean
41. Near Real-Time IMERG – December 25 through December 31
The GPM mission will help advance our understanding of Earth's water and energy cycles, improve the forecasting of extreme events that cause natural disasters, and extend current capabilities of using satellite precipitation information to directly benefit society.
For more information and resources please visit the Precipitation Measurement Missions web site.
For a printable droplet hand out click here.