NASA | GPM Analyzes Powerful Tropical Cyclone Winston over Fiji

The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM mission core satellite passed directly over Tropical Cyclone Winston on Feb. 20 just after it made landfall on the north coast of Viti Levu Island, which is the largest and most populated island in the nation of Fiji.
At the time, Winston was one of the most intense tropical cyclones observed in the South Pacific Ocean, and took an unusual track on the way to Fiji, completing a large counter-clockwise loop during the preceding week.
The GPM satellite, co-managed by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is designed to measure rainfall using both passive microwave (GMI) and radar (DPR) instruments. GMI measurements are sensitive to the column-integrated rain and ice water, and cover a wide swath, whereas the DPR can observe 3D structures of radar signals reflected by rain and snow in a narrower swath. In this animation, the GMI rainfall estimates are shown at the earth's surface below the 3D storm structure revealed by DPR.
For more information about GPM, visit:
www.nasa.gov/gpm
For NASA's Hurricane Web page for Winston, visit:
This video is public domain and can be downloaded at:
Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast:
Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook:
Or find us on Twitter: