Hurricane Florence Looks Super-Scary When Seen From Space
Update, September 12: The International Space Station has posted more foreboding views of Hurricane Florence as it makes its way toward the Carolinas.
Astronaut Alexander Gerst, who is aboard the space station, tweeted Wednesday the storm is so large he had to use a super-wide-angle lens to capture its scope. "Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you," he wrote.
Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons pic.twitter.com/ovZozsncfh
- Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) September 12, 2018
Ever stared down the gaping eye of a category 4 hurricane? It's chilling, even from space. #HurricaneFlorence #Horizons https://t.co/RdDmGgduou pic.twitter.com/2TlMghY4OL
- Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) September 12, 2018
The Space Station's Twitter feed also posted a "stark and sobering" video of Florence as seen from a high-definition camera.
A high definition camera outside the International Space Station captured a stark and sobering view of #HurricaneFlorence at 7:50 a.m. EDT on Sept. 12 as it churned across the Atlantic in a west-northwesterly direction with winds of 130 miles an hour. pic.twitter.com/KG9OY7Iv4l
- Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 12, 2018
"The crew of [the ISS] is thinking of those who will be affected," fellow astronaut Ricky Arnold tweeted.
#HurricaneFlorence this morning with Cape Hatteras #NorthCarolina in the foreground. The crew of @Space_Station is thinking of those who will be affected. pic.twitter.com/XsQ7Zwurfa
- Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) September 12, 2018
Original post, September 10: Hurricane Florence has strengthened to a category 4 storm, and it’s on a path to potentially cause serious damage in North and South Carolina. The hurricane is expected to reach 150 miles per hour before landfall Thursday night. Photos taken from space show just how imposing this storm really is.
Ricky Arnold, an astronaut on the International Space Station, shared his view of the storm along with Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane Helene, which are also brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. Helene is predicted to avoid landfall, while Isaac poses a threat to the Caribbean, USA Today reports.
Hurricane #Florence this morning as seen from @Space_Station. A few moments later, #Isaac & the outer bands of #Helene were also visible. pic.twitter.com/WJQfS4au4m
- Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) September 10, 2018
On Monday morning, the International Space Station also captured video of Florence with winds of 115 miles an hour.
Cameras outside the station captured views of Hurricane Florence in the Atlantic at 8:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 10. With winds of 115 miles an hour it could make landfall along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. late Thursday or early Friday. pic.twitter.com/DhEHhSeeDx
- Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 10, 2018
Previously, Arnold shared images of Florence initially gaining strength over the ocean.
#hurricaneflorence strengthens in the early morning hours over the Atlantic.
A post shared by NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) on Sep 6, 2018 at 7:54am PDT
The National Hurricane Center warned Monday there could be a “life-threatening” storm surge, rip currents, and freshwater flooding along the coasts of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, plus damaging hurricane-force winds at the coasts and further inland.
The governors of those three states have declared states of emergency, CNN reports, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned residents to prepare for a period of time without power. One North Carolina county has already issued a mandatory evacuation order, and locals throughout the region have cleared supermarket shelves of bottled water.
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