2020 Hurricane Season

After a long and meandering journey over Central America, across central Cuba, and through the Florida Keys, Eta, the 28th named storm and 12th hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, wound up nearly stationary as a moderate tropical storm in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico just north of the western tip of Cuba on the morning of November 10th. Before long however, a deep layer trough located over the western third of the US began to shift eastward, and by the afternoon of the 10th, it started to pull Eta back towards the north and the west coast of the Florida peninsula. As it did so, a combination of warm waters and northwesterly wind shear meant that Eta essentially maintained its intensity as a moderate tropical storm. But by the evening of the 10th, as the northwesterly wind shear abated, Eta began to strengthen, becoming a strong tropical storm overnight. At 7:35 a.m. EST on the morning of November 11, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Eta had once again become a hurricane.It was just after this time that the NASA / JAXA GPM Core Observatory satellite flew over Eta once again, after having observed the storm over Nicaragua on November 3 and the Florida Keys on November 8. The above animation shows yet another detailed look into Eta s overpass, Eta was a low-strength hurricane with maximum sustained winds reported at 75 mph by NHC.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Tropical Storm Eta over the Florida west coast on November 11, 2020 at approximately 9:11 EST (14:11Z). Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

After striking the northeast coast of Nicaragua as a powerful Category 4 storm back on November 3, Hurricane Eta weakened rapidly over Central America but still brought major flooding and triggered numerous landslides that so far have resulted in at least 250 fatalities across the region, according to media reports. Eta was down to a tropical depression when the center re-emerged over the northwestern Caribbean on the evening of November 5. An upper-level trough over the Gulf of Mexico first steered Eta northeastward towards Cuba on the 6th. Because it was disorganized after its trek across Central America, it took time for Eta to respond to the still warm waters of the western Caribbean, but by the morning the November 7, Eta had once again reached tropical storm intensity. Eta crossed central Cuba on the morning of the 8th as a strong tropical storm before emerging over the Florida Straits. The same upper-level trough now began to draw Eta back towards the northwest in the direction of the Florida Keys.This data visualization provides a detailed look into Eta courtesy of the GPM Core Observatory satellite, which overflew the storm at 11:41 p.m. EST on November 8 (4:41 UTC November 9), just after the center made landfall on Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys. Rainfall rates derived from the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) show that Eta had a rather large but well-defined eye immediately surrounded by very heavy rain rates (shown in red colors) north and east of the center that are part of the eyewall. GPM also shows that the bulk of the rain associated with Eta was contained in several rainbands wrapping across the Florida peninsula well north of the center. Tall cloud towers associated with areas of deep convection (highlighted by the blue isosurface) detected by the DPR show where precipitation-sized particles extended upward within these thunderstorms that are fueling Eta’s circulation. At the time of the GPM overpass, Eta was a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds reported at 65 mph by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).After passing through the Florida Keys, Eta turned southwest and weakened slightly as a result of ingesting some drier air. The latest NHC forecast suggests that Eta could meander over the southeast Gulf of Mexico north of western Cuba for a day or so before drifting slowly northward towards the northern Gulf Coast.Eta is the 28th named storm of 2020 which beats the 2005 record for the most named storms in a single hurricane season. (See 27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta for a summary of the 2005 hurricane season).GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Tropical Storm Eta making landfall over the Florida Keys on Sunday, November 8, 2020 at approximately 23:11Z (11/9/2020 4:11 EST). Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite flew over Hurricane Eta at 11:41 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (0541 UTC Wednesday, Nov. 4). GPM observed the storm’s rainfall with its two unique science instruments: the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). As the visualization shows, the instruments observed a large swath of heavy precipitation extending to the north and east of the hurricane’s center, which matched earlier forecasts that called for particularly heavy rainfall across the storm’s path.These two- and three-dimensional observations of precipitation structure are the hallmark of the GPM mission – managed jointly by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) -- which aims improve our understanding of the water cycle and extreme weather events, and contributes to improved climate modeling and weather forecasting around the world. These visualizations depict the GPM satellite pass about seven hours after Hurricane Eta made landfall on the coast of Nicaragua as a category 4 storm. Current NHC forecasts indicate Eta will move northwest over Central America then head northeast across the Caribbean Sea, threatening Cuba and Florida early next week.Eta is the 28th named storm of 2020 which beats the 2005 record for the most named storms in a single hurricane season. (See 27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta for a summary of the 2005 hurricane season).GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Hurricane Eta (a Category 1) over Nicaragua on 11/4/2020 at approximately 5:25Z. This visualization focuses on the high precipitation southwest of Eta s eye. Hurricane Eta (a Category 1) on 11/4/2020 at approximately 5:25Z. This visualization focuses on the disperse outer bands northeast of the eye. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

Early in the morning of Oct 28, the GPM satellite flew directly over Hurricane Zeta, which was strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico as it headed for landfall in southeastern Louisiana. The data captured by the Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar show a symmetric storm, with a clear eye surrounded by tall thunderstorms, an indicator that the storm was strengthening after encountering the Yucatan Peninsula a day earlier. Zeta is the 27th named storm of 2020 which ties the record for the most named storms since 2005. (See 27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta for a summary of the 2005 hurricane season). Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans that record-breaking year and now it is poised to take another hit by Hurricane Zeta.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Hurricane Zeta on Wednesday October 28th, 2020 at approximately 3:25 am Central Time (8:25 UTC).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

GPM passed over Tropical Storm Zeta Sunday October 25, 2020 at approximately 2:15pm Central Time (19:15 UTC) as it approached the Yucatan peninsula.Tropical Storm Zeta is the 27th named storm of 2020 which ties the record for the most named storms since 2005. (See 27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta for a summary of the 2005 hurricane season). With several weeks still left in the 2020 hurricane season, 2020 might well surpass this previous record for most named storms in one season.Shortly after this data was collected, Zeta briefly reached Hurricane status before turning back into a Tropical Storm as it swept across the Yucatan peninsula. It is currently heading north through the Gulf of Mexico and has re-intensified into a hurricane before making second landfall somewhere on the Gulf coast.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Tropical Storm Zeta on October 25th, 2020 at approximately 2:15 Central Time (19:15 UT).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

GPM passed over Hurricane Delta Thursday October 8, 2020 at appproximately 7:40pm Central Time (UTC time: 10/9/2020 00:40Z) as it approached the Gulf coast.Hurricane Delta is the 25th named Atlantic storm of the 2020 hurricane season. After exhausting a list of prepared names, the World Meteorological Organization turns to the Greek alphabet to name storms. Delta marked the strongest Greek-named storm on record. Hurricanes typically get a massive boost of energy when they pass over warm waters. Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified from a tropical depression to Category 4 storm in about 30 hours.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ GPM captured Hurricane Delta the evening of October 8 at approximately 7:40pm CST. This visualization shows the heavy rain structures within the heart of the Hurricane as it moved towards the Gulf coast. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

After crossing western Cuba, Tropical Storm Laura emerged into the Gulf of Mexico where warm water, low wind shear and a moist environment made conditions ideal for intensification. As it made its way through the Gulf of Mexico Laura strengthened - from a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph on the morning of Tuesday August 25th, to a powerful category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 150 mph on the evening of Wednesday August 26th - an increase of 75 mph in just 36 hours. At this point Laura was nearing the coast of western Louisiana, and made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana at around 1:00 a.m. CDT at the same 150 mph intensity. As it moved inland heading north over western Louisiana, Laura was overflown by the NASA / JAXA GPM Core Observatory satellite at 10:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday August 26th, shortly before the storm made landfall, then again at 8:11 a.m. CDT on Thursday August 27th, about 7 hours after making landfall, as shown in the animation below.Rainfall rates derived directly from the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments show heavy rain (in red) pushing up into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas as strong southerly winds drew moisture from the Gulf of Mexico on the eastern side of the storm’s strong cyclonic circulation. With its ability to penetrate through the clouds using active radar, the DPR also provided a detailed look at Laura’s structure. Precipitation cloud-top heights from the DPR (highlighted in blue, indicating frozen precipitation) show Laura still had the overall structure of a powerful hurricane, as evidenced by both the symmetry of the outer rainbands that still wrap completely around the storm, as well as the residual structure of a strong core near the center containing elements of very heavy rain (shown in pink). At the time of this GPM overpass, Laura’s maximum sustained winds were still reported at 100 mph by the National Hurricane Center, the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ This visualization shows Hurricane Laura over the Gulf Coast states approximately 7 hours after making landfall on the morning of August 27, 2020. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

After regaining hurricane intensity over the Gulf Stream, Hurricane Isaias made landfall on the south coast of North Carolina on Monday August 3rd at 11:10 pm EDT near Ocean Isle Beach. This data visualization shows Isaias as is makes its way northward from the Bahamas to the coast of North Carolina using NASA’s IMERG rainfall product. With IMERG, precipitation estimates from the GPM core satellite are used to calibrate precipitation estimates from microwave and IR sensors on other satellites to produce half-hourly precipitation maps at 0.1 degrees horizontal resolution. After making landfall, Isaias continued tracking northward over eastern North Carolina in response to a large upper-level trough located over the eastern half of the US.It was at this time that Isaias was again overflown by the GPM core satellite at 8:51 UTC (4:51 am EDT) on the morning of Tuesday August 4th, as shown in the second part of the data visualization. Here rainfall rates derived directly from the GPM Microwave Instrument (or GMI) and Dual-Polarization Radar (or DPR) provide a detailed look at Isaias, which at the time was still a strong tropical storm with sustained winds reported at 70 mph by the National Hurricane Center. GPM clearly shows the center of circulation over northeastern North Carolina, which at the time was just southeast of Roanoke Rapids, NC, with a large eye that is open on the southern side. Amazingly, despite the center being located down in North Carolina, GPM shows a large rain shield extending from North Carolina all the way into New England to the Canadian border as a result of the storm’s counterclockwise circulation drawing abundant moisture off the Atlantic and over land where the combination of an old frontal boundary and the Appalachian terrain squeeze out this moisture to form large amounts of precipitation ahead of the storm, which is then drawn further northward by southerly flow aloft from the upper-level trough.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ This data visualization shows Tropical Storm Isaias stretching across the United States East Coast on the morning of August 4th, 2020. This storm system caused major flooding and damage up and down the entire eastern seaboard.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

After forming into a tropical storm in the eastern Caribbean, Isaias crossed over Hispaniola and back into the western Atlantic heading northwest towards the Bahamas. During this time, Isaias strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane before then passing through the southern and central Bahamas. As it crossed Andros Island in the central Bahamas, Isaias also came under the effects of southwesterly wind shear, which together with the land interaction caused it to weaken back to a strong tropical storm. This animation follows Isaias into the central Bahamas using NASA’s IMERG rainfall product. With IMERG, precipitation estimates from the GPM core satellite are used to calibrate precipitation estimates from microwave and IR sensors on other satellites to produce half-hourly precipitation maps at 0.1 degree horizontal resolution. After it crossed Andros Island, Isaias was overflown by the GPM core satellite itself at 09:11 UTC (5:11 am EDT) on the morning of Sunday August 2nd, which is detailed in the second part of the animation. Here rainfall rates derived directly from the GPM Microwave Instrument (or GMI) and Dual-Polarization Radar (or DPR) provide a detailed look into Isaias. GPM shows a large area of heavy rain (shown in red) covering the northern Bahamas. GPM also shows that this rain is located almost entirely northeast of Isaias’ center with very little rain on the western side of the storm. This highly asymmetric structure reflects both the effects of the wind shear as well as Isaias’ lack of intensity and hence ability to wrap precipitation around to the western side of the circulation. At the time of the GPM overpass, Isaias’ maximum sustained winds were reported at 65 mph by the National Hurricane Center, making it a strong tropical storm. Isaias would go onto regain hurricane intensity due to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream before making landfall on the southern coast of North Carolina.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ GPM captured Tropical Storm Isaias off the coast of Florida as it pounded the Northern Bahama Islands on August 2nd, 2020.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

After forming from a tropical easterly wave in the central Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Depression #8 had intensified enough by the evening of July 21st to be named Tropical Storm Hanna by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and in the process became the earliest 8th named storm in an Atlantic season on record. As Hanna made its way westward from the central Gulf towards the South Texas coastline, it was constantly being monitored by an array of satellites. This animation shows Hanna’s progression from a tropical storm in the western Gulf of Mexico to a strong Category 1 hurricane at landfall on the South Texas coast using NASA’s IMERG rainfall product. With IMERG, precipitation estimates from the GPM core satellite are used to calibrate precipitation estimates from microwave and IR sensors on other satellites to produce half-hourly precipitation maps at 0.1o horizontal resolution. The start of the animation shows Tropical Storm Hanna on the evening of July 24th spinning counterclockwise in the western Gulf. Hanna’s surface rainfall pattern is rather asymmetric with a broad area of heavy rain southeast of the center with several rainbands wrapping up into the northern Gulf Coast on the east side of the storm. As Hanna continues westward towards Texas, the storm becomes more symmetric with heavy rain starting to wrap around the eastern side of the storm while an eye develops, both of which indicate that the storm is intensifying. Indeed, on the morning of July 25th, NHC reported that Hanna had reached hurricane intensity, becoming the first of the season. Hannah continued to strengthen until making landfall later that same day around 5 pm (CDT) over Padre Island as a strong Category 1 storm with sustained winds reported at 90 mph by NHC. This is reflected in the final part of the animation, which shows an overpass from the GPM core satellite, which overflew the storm around 22:26 UTC (5:26 pm CDT) just after it made landfall. Here rainfall rates derived directly from the GPM Microwave Instrument (or GMI) provide a detailed look into Hanna and show a very well-defined eye surrounded by a complete eyewall containing heavy to very heavy rain rates in nearly every quadrant of the storm. These structural characteristics reflect a strong, well-defined circulation and suggest Hanna quite likely would have reached Category 2 intensity had it remained over open water much longer.GPM data is archived at https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov/ This data visualization shows Hurricane Hanna on July 25, 2020 as it makes landfall on the southern Texas coast. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation.

GPM captured Tropical Storm Cristobal at 11:46 UTC (6:46 am CST) on June 8th, 2020. Prior to this second landfall over the Louisiana coast, Tropical Storm Cristobal had caused much damage to Campeche and Mexico on it s GMI and DPR then sweep in to reveal the detailed surface precipitation and storm structure. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation.

Find out what fueled one of the worst hurricane seasons in history. This season of storms went well past the typical Nov. 30 s TRMM spacecraft observed the internal structure of Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 28, 2005.