NASA's TRMM Sees Heavy Rain Over Taiwan from Tropical Storm Kong-Rey [image-142]
NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite flew directly above western Taiwan on August 28, 2013 at 2108 UTC when Tropical Storm Kong-Rey was dropping enormous amounts of rain. Kong-Rey is expected to affect Japan over the next several days while moving parallel to its western coastline.
Flooding from torrential rainfall with totals of over 500 mm (~19.7 inches) have been reported in western Taiwan. A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments revealed that precipitation was falling was at a rate of over 205mm/8 inches per hour in intense bands of rain over southwestern Taiwan.
TRMM data was used to create a 3-D image looking from the east, showed the extremely high storms located on the western side of Taiwan. TRMM showed that the tops of those powerful thunderstorms were often reaching heights above 16.5 km (~10.3 miles).[image-158]
On Aug. 30 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT, Kong-Rey had weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 kph. It had passed Taiwan and was centered near 31.7 north and 126.6 east, about 251 nautical miles/288 miles/465 km west-southwest of Sasebo, Japan. Kong-Rey was moving northeastward at 13 knots/15 mph/20.9 kph.
Tropical Depression Kong-Rey is now predicted to move to the north then northeast and remain just off the western coast of Japan until it makes a brief landfall near Misawa in the north on Sept. 1. Resident along western Japan can expect showers, gusty winds and rough surf over the next several days.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 29, 2013 - NASA Infrared Eye Sees Wind Shear Affecting Tropical Storm Kong-Rey [image-126]
Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed that Tropical Storm Kong-Rey's strongest thunderstorms were being pushed away from its center on its trek northward in the Western North Pacific Ocean.
As Tropical Storm Kong-Rey moved past the northern Philippines NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of the storm that revealed wind shear was taking a toll on the storm.
Tropical cyclones are made up of hundreds of thunderstorms, and the ones with the coldest cloud top temperatures shoot highest in the atmosphere and have a potential to drop heavy rain. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite measured those cloud-top temperatures on Aug. 29 at 04:59 UTC when it flew over the storm from space. The strongest convection, coldest cloud top temperatures and heaviest thunderstorms had been pushed westward from the center as a result of moderate vertical wind shear. Moderate easterly wind shear pushed some of Kong-Rey's thunderstorms over eastern China as the storm's center continues to track over the ocean.
By Aug. 29 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT, Kong-Rey had moved north of Taiwan. It was centered near 26.9 north and 122.4 east, about 100 nautical miles north-northeast of Taipei, Taiwan. Kong-Rey's maximum sustained winds were near 40 knots/46 mph/74 kph. The tropical storm was moving to the northwest at 4 knots/4.6 mph/7.4 kph, but is expected to turn to the northeast because of an approaching trough (elongated area) of low pressure moving in from the west. That trough will push Kong-Rey toward Japan.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC expect Kong-Rey to transition into a cold-core system and become extra-tropical within the next day. JTWC forecasters expect that Kong-Rey will make landfall in Japan sometime on Aug. 31 just south of Sasebo, Kyushu, Japan.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 28, 2013 - NASA Sees Intense Rainfall Rates in Tropical Storm Kong-Rey [image-94]
NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite known as TRMM observed intense rainfall rates in Tropical Storm Kong-Rey.
Tropical Storm Kong-Rey was between the northern Philippines and Taiwan on Aug.27 when NASA's TRMM satellite passed overhead and captured data about rainfall rates occurring in the storm. TRMM captured data on Aug. 27, 2013 at 2203 UTC/6:03 p.m. EDT/6:03 a.m. local time on Aug. 28.[image-110]
A precipitation analysis from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments was overlaid on an enhanced visible/infrared image from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. to create an image of Kong-Rey's rainfall rates. The analysis showed that Kong-Rey contained a large area of heavy rainfall. Some storms within Kong-Rey were found by TRMM PR to be dropping rain at the extreme rate of over 156mm/6.14 inches per hour. A 3-D view was also created at NASA using TRMM PR data. In that 3-D image, there were a few very intense storms near Kong-Rey's center reaching heights above 15km/9.3 miles.
On Aug. 28 at 1500 UTC, Kong-Rey's maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots/57.5 mph/92.6 kph. Kong-Rey was centered near 22.9 north and 122.7 east, about 177 nautical miles south-southeastward of Taipei, Taiwan. Kong-Rey is moving north at 7 knots/8 mph/12.9 kph.
[image-36]
Tropical storm Kong-Rey formed in the western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines on August 26, 2013. Kong-Rey is already affecting southeastern Taiwan, and is predicted to be the first tropical cyclone of 2013 to hit southern Japan.
Text credit: Hal Pierce/Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 27, 2013 - NASA Sees Tropical Storm Kong-Rey Battling Wind Shear [image-78]
NASA satellite imagery on Aug. 27 showed that wind shear was having an effect on the thunderstorms in Tropical Storm Kong-Rey's northern quadrant.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Kong-Rey on Aug. 27 at 0515 UTC/1:15 a.m. EDT and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer took a visible image of the storm. The imagery showed that the northern quadrant of the storm had the weakest area of thunderstorm development as a result of northeasterly wind shear, while the southern and western quadrants had strong thunderstorms. Wind shear is expected to relax somewhat, allowing Kong-Rey to intensify over the next day before it begins weakening.
At 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27, Kong-Rey's maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots/57 mph/92.6 kph and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center is predicting a slow intensification. Kong-Rey was centered near 20.5 north and 123.6 east, about 324 nautical miles south-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. Kong-Rey is moving to the north at 8 knots/9.2 mph/14.8 kph.
Kong-Rey is expected to pass east of Taiwan and then a mid-latitude trough (elongated area of low pressure) moving in from the northwest is expected to push the storm in a northeasterly direction and weaken it in the next couple of days
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 26, 2013 - NASA Catches Tropical Storm Kong-Rey Form in Northwestern Pacific [image-51]
The northwestern Pacific has generated its fourteenth tropical cyclone and NASA's Aqua satellite flew over the eastern side of the storm early on Aug. 26.
Tropical Storm Kong-Rey formed from low pressure System 91W. It is located east of the northeast Philippines and bringing the region gusty winds, rains and rough seas today, Aug 26.
Aqua passed over Tropical Storm Kong-Rey on Aug. 26 at 0432 UTC/12:32 a.m. EDT as it was strengthening from a tropical depression into a tropical storm. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard Aqua captured a visible image of Kong-Rey that showed a rounded circulation.
Although MODIS did not capture any data over the Philippines, Kong-Rey is far enough east of the island nation that most of the storm was in its sights.
A tropical cyclone is made up of hundreds of thunderstorms and the MODIS imagery showed strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation that were casting shadows on the lower surrounding thunderstorms.
Satellite imagery also revealed banding of thunderstorms was beginning to occur.
On Aug. 25 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT Kong-Rey's maximum sustained winds were near 35 knots/40 mph/55 kph. The storm was centered near 17.7 north and 123.9 east, about 241 nautical miles northeastward of Manila, Philippines, has tracked northwestward at 12 knots/13.8 mph/22.2 kph. Tropical Storm Kong-Rey was bringing rainfall to eastern Luzon.
The forecast along the eastern seaboard of Central and Southern Luzon for Aug. 26 calls for cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rain showers and thunderstorms. According to PAGASA, the Phillippine Atmospheric and Astronomical Services Administration, winds in that area area expected to be sustained between 32 and 39 mph/52 and 63 kph/28 to 34 knots/ and seas are expected to be very rough as Kong-Rey continues moving past the northern Philippines.
Kong-Rey is forecast to move northwest and move past Luzon and pass to the east of Taiwan on its northern journey.
Text: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
