Heavy rains caused flooding in Malaysia in December 2012 and January 2013. By December 26, heavy rains had forced thousands of residents to evacuate, Global Post reported, with severe floods in Terengganu, Pahang, and Kelantan.
This map shows rainfall totals in Malaysia and Indonesia from December 24, 2012, to January 6, 2013. The heaviest rainfall—more than 300 millimeters (12 inches)—appears in dark blue. The lightest rainfall—less than 50 millimeters (2 inches)—appears in light green. Trace amounts of rain appear in yellow. The heaviest rainfall is concentrated along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.
This image is based on data from the Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis produced at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which estimates rainfall by combining measurements from many satellites and calibrating them using rainfall measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. Because this image is an estimate of the rainfall recorded over a very large area when the satellites are overhead, it may miss pockets of heavy rain in smaller areas, or short periods of more or less intense rain. As a result, local rainfall totals measured from the ground may differ from the estimates shown here.
References & Resources
- Greenwood, F. (2012, December 26) Malaysia’s eastern coast floods, forcing thousands to flee their homes. Global Post. Accessed January 8, 2013.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data from the TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
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