Friday, April 6, 2012

NASA's TRIMM satellite views Texas tornados in 3-D

NASA: NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite provides a look at thunderstorms in three dimensions and shows scientists the heights of the thunderclouds and the rainfall rates coming from them, both of which indicate severity. Powerful thunderstorms that created severe weather were more than 8 miles high.

...TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) data gathered above northeastern Texas on April 3, 8:33 p.m. CDT were used to provide a 3-D view of the intensity and vertical distribution of precipitation. PR data showed that some of the powerful storms within this area were pushing up to heights above about 8 miles (13 km).

NOAA's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center received 18 reports of tornadoes occurring on April 3 over northeastern Texas. Some of these very destructive storms dropped softball sized hail as they passed to the south of the Dallas/Fort Worth area....

Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce

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