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NASA finds rainfall data on Tropical Cyclone Vardah

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ANI WashingtonD.C [US]

NASA gathered rainfall data on

Tropical Cyclone Vardah from its birth in the Bay of Bengal through

its movement west into the Arabian Sea.

Rainfall totals were estimated over Vardah's lifetime and path, and

NASA found heavy rainfall from the remnants on Dec. 14.

Although Vardah's circulation dissipated the remnants were still

producing rainfall in a few stormy areas when the Global Precipitation

Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew over the

Arabian Sea on Dec. 13 at 9:31 p.m. EST (Dec. 14 at 0231 UTC).

As GPM flew over the remnants, the satellite's Dual-Frequency

Precipitation Radar (DPR) data showed that rainfall was still quite

heavy.

Rainfall was occurring at a rate of over 101 mm (4 inches) per hour in

 

storms that were moving into the Arabian Sea.

GPM's radar (DPR Ku Band) measured storm top heights in a few of these

storms that were reaching altitudes above 14 km (8.7 miles). GPM is a

joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

To calculate the rainfall dropped along Vardah's lifetime path, data

from NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) were

used.

Rainfall totals were estimated from Dec.7 through 14, 2016 which was

the period from Vardah's formation in the eastern Bay of Bengal until

the tropical cyclone dissipated over southern India.

IMERG showed that Vardah produced heavy rainfall over a large area of

the central Bay of Bengal.

The highest IMERG rainfall total estimates of about 500 mm (19.7

inches) were analyzed in the area west of the Andaman Islands where

Vardah formed and initially moved very slowly.

IMERG total rainfall estimates of over 300 mm (11.8 inches) were shown

in many areas along Vardah's track.

The highest IMERG rainfall total estimates over land were found from

where Vardah made landfall on India's southeastern coast through

dissipation in the western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Flooding rainfall totals of over 224mm (8.8 inches) were reported in

Chennai where Vardah came ashore.

India's RSMC or Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in New

Delhi said on Dec. 15 that the low pressure area and associated

scattered low/medium clouds with embedded moderate to intense

convection (developing thunderstorms) lies over the Kerala - Karnataka

coast and adjoining some parts of southeast Arabian Sea.

Vardah's remnants have a zero percent chance of redeveloping.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: Dec 16 2016 | 1:07 PM IST

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