Watch Six Months of Rain and Snowfall Across the World

NASA satellite data could help predict cyclones, hurricanes, and tropical storms.

NASA released a video of global rain and snowfall on Thursday based on data that scientists say could help predict hurricanes, cyclones, tropical storms, and floods.

The video visualizes data collected from a satellite mission launched last year, a partnership between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. It spans six months, from April to September 2014.

Data culled from the ongoing mission will be freely available to the public and could be used to improve weather forecasting and storm-tracking, including extreme weather events.

Real-time measurements from the mission, known as the Global Precipitation Measurement project, could allow emergency responders to make better-informed decisions, Gail Skofronick-Jackson, a NASA scientist, told reporters on Thursday.

"[This] can save lives," she said.

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Mauro Whiteman contributed to this article