News Release

NASA provides many views of Tropical Depression Bill

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

GPM Video of Bill

video: Data from the NASA's GPM IMERG was used in this analysis to estimate rainfall from Tropical Storm Bill from June 15 to 18, 2015. Rainfall from tropical Storm Bill was spreading over Oklahoma. view more 

Credit: Credits: NASA/JAXA/SSAI, Hal Pierce

NASA provided four different views of Tropical Depression Bill as it continued traveling through the south-central U.S. and into the Ohio Valley. NASA's Aqua and Terra satellite provided infrared and visible imagery while NASA/NOAA's GOES Project animated NOAA's GOES-East satellite imagery to show the storm's progression since landfall. The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite also showed rainfall estimates and locations.

On June 18, the National Weather Service, Weather Prediction Center (NWS/WPC) noted that flood and flash flood watches and warnings are in effect for eastern Texas and Oklahoma and into the middle Mississippi River Valley and portions of the western Ohio Valley.

An animation of GOES-East satellite imagery from June 16 to 18 was created at NASA/NOAA's GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The animation showed the Tropical Depression Bill moving over Texas, Oklahoma and moving into the Ohio Valley.

On June 17, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of Tropical Depression Bill over northeastern Texas. In the image, a band of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was being swept up into the eastern quadrant of the storm, while another band of thunderstorms stretched northeast of the center. The MODIS data was made into an image at NASA Goddard.

On June 18 at 08:41 UTC (4:41 a.m. EDT) infrared data from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite was made into a false-colored infrared image to show temperature. AIRS data can identify the coldest, highest cloud tops with potential heavy rainfall. The data showed cold cloud tops and thunderstorms over most of Oklahoma (except the panhandle), stretching into southeastern Kansas. The AIRS data was made into an image at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Data from the NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) was used in an analysis to estimate rainfall from Tropical Depression Bill. Precipitation was analyzed from the time when Tropical Depression Bill was forming in the Gulf Of Mexico on Monday June 15, 2015 until June 18, 2015 at 0600 UTC (2 a.m. EDT). The data showed rainfall from Tropical Depression Bill was spreading over Oklahoma while rainfall from a frontal system was also occurring in the northern states. The GPM observatory is co-managed by both NASA and the Japanese Space Agency.

The NWS expects Tropical Depression Bill to produce total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches across eastern Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and into southern Missouri. Locally higher amounts up to 12 inches may also be possible. Additional amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible into portions of southeastern Texas. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches are possible farther northeast into the Ohio River Valley. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on June 18, the center of Bill was located near Latitude 34.5 North and longitude 96.4 West. That places Bill's center of circulation about 80 miles (129 km) southeast of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Maximum sustained winds were near 25 mph (40 kph). Bill was moving to the north-northeast at 10 mph (16 kph). Tropical depression Bill continues to move north-northeastward into southern Oklahoma.

NWS/WPC noted that Bill is forecast to move across southeastern Oklahoma on Thursday, June 18 and southern Missouri by Friday, June 19. Bill is expected to gradually weaken over the next few days. For updates, visit: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/tropstorms.shtml

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NWS SELECTED STORM TOTAL RAINFALL IN INCHES THROUGH 5 AM EDT ON JUNE 18

ARKANSAS

HARRISON/BOONE CO. ARPT 1.48

BENTONVILLE 1.43

OKLAHOMA

NEWPORT 13.07

BURNEYVILLE 10.09

RINGLING 8.27

SULPHUR 7.09

TEXAS

MONTAGUE 12.50

GANADO 1.5 W 11.77

ALICE INTL ARPT 9.03

WF SAN JACINTO 7.06

CORPUS CHRISTI 6.14

WACO 0.8 N 3.91

AUSTIN 5 E 3.72

SAN ANTONIO INTL ARPT 2.43

HOUSTON 2.09

GALVESTON/SCHOLES 1.42


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