March 29, 2024

NASA’s IMERG Catches Australian “Rain Bomb”

By Stephen Lang (NASA GSFC/ SSAI).
March 16, 2022.

IMERG reveals Anikas clockwise flow and some of the rainbands accountable for bringing rains further inland as well as Anikas fairly slow forward speed along the coast that resulted in estimated rainfall totals of over 250 mm (~ 10 inches) over parts of the northwest coast of Australia. On the southeast coast, IMERG reveals the determination of the heavy rains around Brisbane that led to estimated rain overalls in excess of 500 mm (~ 20 inches) with locally higher quantities reported by specific stations.
Credit: Animation by Jason West (NASA GSFC/ Adnet), produced by Ryan Fitzgibbons (NASA GSFC/ KBRwyle).

The below animation shows surface rains estimates from NASAs IMERG multi-satellite precipitation item for the week starting on February 22, 2022 at 0000 UTC and ending on February 28, 2022 at 2330 UTC. Locations shaded in yellow and blue program three-hour average snapshots of IMERG rain rates every half-hour overlaid on cloudiness (revealed in white/gray) based on geosynchronous satellite infrared observations.