NASA mapped heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Vamco

Tropical Storm Vamco was a short-lived tropical storm but brought large amounts of rainfall to southeastern Asia. The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite measured the rainfall over four days and showed some impressive totals.

Tropical Storm Vamco formed in the South China Sea on September 13, 2015 and went ashore in Vietnam a few days later. Although short-lived Vamco dropped very heavy rainfall over the mountainous terrain of central Vietnam and in Laos and eastern Thailand.

An Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) rainfall analysis was created at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for the period from September 12 to 15, 2015. This analysis indicated that during this short period over 220 mm (8.7 inches) rain fell along the tropical storms path. Flash floods and landslides likely occurred in areas of this large rainfall.

The GPM mission is managed by both NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.