GCOM passed over the Oklahoma region approximately 15 minutes prior to the touchdown of the EF-5 tornado that ravaged central OK on May 20, 2013. Rain retrieval rates, brightness temperatures, and polarization differences were analyzed.
Researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites led by Christopher Hain, along with colleagues from NOAA and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have developed a unique satellite based methodology for mapping drought over the United States.