Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) Microwave (MW)

The Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from Microwave (MW) observations of tropical cyclones worldwide data consist of raw satellite observations. The data derive from the global constellation of geostationary satellites (GOES, Meteosat, MS, and FY2 series) spanning 1987 through 2009. Passive microwave observations provide significant information content given that most clouds are transparent at microwave wavelengths. The HURSAT-MW data set is constructed in largely the same manner as HURSAT-B1. Each time a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite passes over a tropical cyclone, Special Sensing Microwave Imager (SSMI) data are mapped to an equal angle grid (fixed latitude/longitude) centered on the temporally interpolated storm location. HURSAT-MW provides brightness temperatures for all 7 SSMI channels. No product retrievals (e.g., rain rate, total column water vapor, ...) are provided in the data, but are possible (e.g., view the imagery derived from the data). The satellite data were then gridded to 8km, with grid centers fixed on the tropical cyclone center of circulation at 6-hour intervals. Data include hurricanes from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean Basins. Data are provided in a convenient NetCDF format which is self-documenting and follows standard storage and metadata conventions. Version 5 supersedes all other versions.