The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is used to monitor rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown here in the left panel for central South America for the period 22 December 2006 to 22 January 2007. The highest rainfall totals for the period (shown in red) are on the order of 700 to 900 mm (~28 to 36 inches) and occur over portions of southeast Brazil and central Bolivia and Peru along the Andes. The right panel above shows the rainfall anomalies or deviations from the background average for this same period. The average or climatological rainfall values are based on data obtained since TRMM's launch back in late 1997 for the same calendar period. The anomaly pattern shows above-average rainfall (green and blue areas) stretching from southeast Brazil across central South America and into Peru with below-average (dark yellow area) rainfall over central and eastern Brazil. This pattern is generally consistent with that for an El Niño event.