The first image on the left shows Cyclone Nicholas as it was moving to the southwest parallel to the west coast of Australia at 17:17 UTC 17 February (2:17 am 18 February Australian WDT) 2008. The image shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within the storm. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). Nicholas' rain field is asymmetric, which is characteristic of a less intense storm. There is, however, good banding (or curvature) in the rain bands, which is indicative of a developed circulation. At the time of this image, Nicholas was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 70 knots (81 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. After this image was taken, the system turned south and came ashore near Coral Bay on Australia's remote northwest coast. No damage or injuries were reported due to the storm.

Click to See a Higher Resolution image The second image shows cyclone Ivan, a much more powerful storm, as it was bearing down on the island of Madagascar. The image was taken at 06:21 UTC (9:21 am local time) on February 16th. A large, well-defined eye is apparent, and the storm is much more symmetric than was evident with Nicholas. At the time of this image, Ivan was a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 100 knots (115 mph). It would make landfall the next morning (local time) on the east coast of Madagascar, killing 11. The hardest hit area was the island of Sainte Marie (the small island located just off the main coastline) where 9 people died.

Click to See a Higher Resolution image The last image was taken simultaneously with the previous and shows a 3D picture of Ivan courtesy of the TRMM PR. A ring of taller towers (highlighted in red) reveals areas of deep convection (e.g., thunderstorms) that are associated with the eyewall. The western eyewall is the most prominent in this image. Other areas of deep convection are associated with outer rainbands. The South Indian Ocean typically has 17 tropical cyclones in an average year. So far, there have been 9 tropical systems in the South Indian Ocean this year.