Public release date: 26-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rob Gutro Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov 443-858-1779 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Tropical Storm Debby continues to be a big rainmaker in Florida and southern Georgia and NASA's TRMM satellite has measured those rainfall rates from space, showing where heavy rain has fallen.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite is basically a flying rain gauge in space. Scientists use TRMM data to calculate rainfall rates and rain totals from space. TRMM imagery from June 25 showed Debby's heaviest rains were falling at a rate of over 2 inches (50 mm) per hour, and to the southeast of the center.

Debby has been a huge rainmaker. For example, Debby dumped nearly 7 inches of rain on Gainesville Sunday, June 24. That was Gainsville's second highest one day total. Numerous other reports of between 6 and 10 inches of rain have already been reported as a result of Debby.

Debby's Status Today:

Today, June 25, 2012, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Florida Gulf coast from Mexico Beach to Englewood. At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), Debby had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph (75 kmh). It was still centered in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, about 85 miles (140 km) west of Cedar Key, near 28.9 north latitude and 84.5 west longitude. The estimated minimum central pressure is 991 millibars. Debby is slowly moving toward the east near 3 mph (6 kmh) and is expected to move east-northeastward in the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). NHC forecasters note that Debby's center will weaken to a depression while moving over northern Florida in the next day or two.

Debby's History:

Tropical Storm Debby formed on the 23rd of June 2012 in the central Gulf of Mexico, becoming the earliest 4th named storm on record. Debby began as an area of low pressure that moved out of the northwestern Caribbean and into the Gulf. After forming on the afternoon of the 23rd, Debby has moved very slowly under the influence of weak steering currents.

Debby drifted ever so slowly northward on the night of the 23rd before turning northeast later on the morning of the 24th towards the northeast Gulf Coast of Florida. Despite its slow forward progress and lack of intensification, Debby has already lashed Florida with heavy rain as well as tornadoes.

Link:

NASA measuring Tropical Storm Debby's heavy rains from space