WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:04.140
Hurricane

2
00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:08.200
Matthew was the first Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in almost ten years.

3
00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:12.300
Its torrential rains and winds caused significant damage and loss of life,

4
00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.410
as it coursed through the Caribbean and up along the southern U.S. coast.

5
00:00:16.430 --> 00:00:20.580
NASA researchers use a combination of satellite

6
00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:24.710
observations and computer models to recreate a multidimensional picture

7
00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:28.900
of the hurricane in order to study the complex atmospheric interactions.

8
00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:33.090
Starting on September 29th,

9
00:00:33.110 --> 00:00:37.150
2016. Matthew strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5

10
00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:41.270
hurricane in less than 24 hours with winds reaching 160 miles per hour.

11
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:45.370
By combining overpasses by the Global Precipitation

12
00:00:45.390 --> 00:00:49.490
Measurement Core Observatory satellite with those of other GPM partner

13
00:00:49.510 --> 00:00:53.670
satellites, the half-hourly IMERG precipitation product tracked

14
00:00:53.690 --> 00:00:57.860
the intensification of Hurricane Matthew.

15
00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:02.050
At peak intensity, Matthew's rainfall showed a massive region of heavy rain

16
00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:06.160
just north of the eye. Using the radar data from the GPM Core

17
00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:10.300
Observatory allowed us to slice through the storm to see this feature, as well

18
00:01:10.320 --> 00:01:14.430
as the expected snow and ice high atop the hurricane.

19
00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:18.600
As the hurricane's movement shifted from westward to northward, Matthew paused.

20
00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:22.750
The persistent surface winds swirling counterclockwise created drag

21
00:01:22.770 --> 00:01:26.950
that pushed the warm surface waters away from the eye's location.

22
00:01:26.970 --> 00:01:31.160
As a result, the cooler ocean water upwelled, raising it to

23
00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:35.300
the surface. However, the upwelling did not last long and the cooler water sank

24
00:01:35.320 --> 00:01:39.480
and warmer water moved back in as Matthew headed toward Haiti.

25
00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:43.650
Winds around Matthew accentuated heavy

26
00:01:43.670 --> 00:01:47.650
rainfall, drenching Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the windward side

27
00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:51.860
of the mountains.

28
00:01:51.880 --> 00:01:56.070
As Matthew moved northward

29
00:01:56.090 --> 00:02:00.150
an eyewall replacement cycle was visible. The GPM Core

30
00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:04.260
satellite observed the concentric eyewalls as the tighter, more intense inner eyewall

31
00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:08.320
was replaced by a new, broader eye.

32
00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:12.430
As Hurricane Matthew approached Florida and

33
00:02:12.450 --> 00:02:16.570
hugged the coast, heavy rains saturated the soil.

34
00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:20.720
On October 8th, Matthew approached North Carolina,

35
00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:24.920
which was already battered by previous thunderstorms. The addition

36
00:02:24.940 --> 00:02:29.110
of Matthew's rainfall and storm surge created significant flooding.

37
00:02:29.130 --> 00:02:33.170
The GPM Core Observatory satellite captured one final pass

38
00:02:33.190 --> 00:02:37.290
of a Category 2 Hurricane Matthew. No longer driven

39
00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:41.430
by the heavy convective clouds around its center, Matthew underwent

40
00:02:41.450 --> 00:02:45.570
extratropical transition on October 9th. The hurricane moved out into the

41
00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:49.690
Atlantic before dissipating completely.

42
00:02:49.710 --> 00:02:53.860
Combining model and observed data from multiple sensors is a powerful tool

43
00:02:53.880 --> 00:02:58.080
for better analyzing hurricanes and can provide clues to how future storms

44
00:02:58.100 --> 00:03:02.140
may behave and interact with their environment, as well as their potential impact

45
00:03:02.160 --> 00:03:06.160
on society.

46
00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:07.413