image: When NASA's TRMM satellite passed over Tropical Storm Maliksi on Oct. 2 at 1206 UTC (8: 06 a.m. EDT), light rainfall (blue) was occurring over most of the storm. The heaviest rainfall was moderate (green and orange) was falling east of the center at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches/20 to 40 mm per hour. There was a small area of heavy rainfall (red) just east of the center where rain was falling at 2 inches (50 mm) per hour. view more
Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce
Wind shear is pushing the heaviest rainfall within Tropical Storm Maliksi east of the storm's center, and NASA's TRMM satellite captured it on Oct. 2 as it passed overhead from space.
When NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Tropical Storm Maliksi on Oct. 2 at 1206 UTC (8:06 a.m. EDT), the precipitation radar instrument detected light rainfall occurring over most of the storm. The heaviest rainfall was moderate was falling east of the center at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches/20 to 40 mm per hour. There was a small area of heavy rainfall just east of the center where rain was falling at 2 inches (50 mm) per hour.
TRMM also noticed that the highest thunderstorms were about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) high in that same region of heavy rain. Microwave satellite imagery has shown that the storm has become less organized during the morning hours of Oct. 2 because it has become slightly elongated.
On Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), Tropical storm Maliksi had maximum sustained winds near 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph). It was located 200 nautical miles (230 miles/370 km) south-southeast of Iwo-To, Japan near 22.0 North and 141.9 East. Maliksi was moving to the north-northwest at 6 knots (7 mph/11 kph).
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast shows that Maliksi will track northwest towards Iwo To and strengthen. Once Maliksi passes Iwo To it is expected to move to the northeast and become extra-tropical.