Heavy rains dumped a foot or more of water over several Indonesianisland regions during March 29-April 1. The image graphicallyportrays heavy rain accumulations particularly over and offshore ofPapua New Guinea and over the easternmost islands of Flores and Timorin Jakarta. The accumulation map was created using a technique thatcombines rainfall information from a number of NASA and DoDsatellites. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM)satellite plays a key role in mapping the rain. The heavy rainsoccurred sporadically in the form of intense clusters ofthunderstorms, embedded within the larger Winter Asian Monsooncirculation, and modulated by the passage of an atmospheric wavecalled the tropical intraseasonal oscillation. The very localizedbut extreme rain amounts over the island of Flores resulted inviolent landslides that killed 23 people.
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References & Resources
This image was created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov
