Click to see Quicktime animation NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Maps Isidore's Rain in the Southeastern U.S. This movie shows TRMM-based precipitation estimates during Tropical Storm Isidore's landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The accumulation is shown from the early morning on September 23 through midnight on September 27. Isidore had weakened considerably from its earlier landfall over the Yucatan Peninsula, but it still contained a very broad circulation and enough moisture and energy to induce widespread flash flooding across several Gulf Coast states. Rain totals appear to exceed 8 inches in many locations. One interesting aspect was Isidore's interaction with a pre-existing frontal system in the southeastern U.S. This enhanced the rainfall produced during Isidore's extra-tropical transition. In fact, the combination of Isidore's copious moisture and the frontal system caused widespread rain to spread northward into the mid-Atlantic, far in advance of Isidore's movement out of the Gulf. As of today, Isidore has acquired extra-tropical characteristics (containing both a warm front and a cold front) and its spinning core is tracking northward along the Appalachians, bringing the threat of severe weather to the mid-Atlantic region.
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