August 26, 2015

NASA, NOAA satellites showed Tropical Depression Erika was dropping heavy rains over Hispaniola causing flooding and mudslides.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of Erika affecting the island of Hispaniola on August 25 at approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT. The visible image showed Erika as a swirling mass over Hispaniola with heavy rain over land and offshore. The Dominican Republic has suffered significant flooding and landslides. According to the Dominican Republic Civil Defense, 20 people have been killed, 10 are missing, and 2,500 have been evacuated.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite managed by NASA and JAXA, the Japanese space agency, provided precipitation data to indicate rainfall rates within Erika on the same day. TRMM data revealed rainfall rates within the inner bands of Erika near the center as heavy as 1 inch (2.5 cm) per hour. Rainfall farther out in the outermost bands of the storm were producing about 0.20 inches (0.5 cm) per hour.

Erika had top sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) on August 25 and was moving to the west at 15 mph (24 kph). It is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm, but not much beyond that strength. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect the storm to continue moving west-northwestward and then curve to the north before landfall in Florida.

References

* National Hurricane Center

* TRMM rainfall rates