Hurricanes: Astronauts see Florence, Isaac, Helene storms from space

Satellite imagery shows
hurricanes Florence, Isaac, and Helene from space on September
10, 2018.

CIRA/RAMMB;
GOES-16/NOAA

• Hurricane Florence is
  predicted to slam into the US East Coast as a “major”
  storm.
• Two other hurricanes — Isaac and Helene —
  have also formed in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Astronauts aboard the International Space Station
  recently flew over all three hurricanes and photographed them
  from space.
• A video camera on board the space station also recorded
  footage of Hurricane Florence.

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Hurricane Florence is blowing sustained winds of
up to 130 mph as it barrels toward the US East Coast as a

Category 4 storm.

Warm Atlantic Ocean waters are adding to Florence’s strength, and
computer models predict that the storm will make landfall
Thursday in North Carolina or South Carolina as a major
hurricane. Its impacts may be felt much deeper in the US,
including in most of Virginia.

“Today is the day to get prepared all along the East Coast!” the
National Weather Service tweeted on Monday morning. “Don’t get
complacent just because you live inland! Florence is forecast to
bring devastating rainfall and flooding from the coast to the
Appalachians.”

In addition, the National Hurricane Center said that it will likely issue
watches for “life-threatening storm surge” across three states.

But Hurricane Florence is not alone in the Atlantic Ocean.

As astronauts aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) saw first-hand on Monday
morning, hurricanes Isaac and Helene
are trailing behind Florence, making for a trio of powerful
storms.

What the hurricanes look like to astronauts in space

Ricky Arnold, a NASA astronaut
aboard the space station, was in the right place at the right
time to photograph all three giant storms from about 250 miles
above Earth.

“Hurricane #Florence this morning as seen from @Space_Station,”
Arnold tweeted on Monday. “A few
moments later, #Isaac & the outer bands of #Helene were also
visible.”

Below are the photos that Arnold — who also recently helped track
down
a hole in the ISS — took of all three storms from his lofty
perch.

Hurricane Florence

The storm is currently between 500-600 miles wide and gaining
strength.

A robotic arm of the ISS drifts in the middle of the image, and
solar panels are seen to the right:

Richard
Arnold/NASA

A camera outside the space station also recorded video footage of
Hurricane Florence as it flew overhead.

The clip was taken early Monday morning and hours before the
storm was upgraded in strength.

Hurricane Isaac

Isaac is a Category 1 hurricane that’s blowing winds between
74-95 mph. The storm is targeting the southern Caribbean region
and may bring a storm surge of up to 5 feet.

A section of solar panels partly blocks the view of Earth at the
top-right of the image:

Richard
Arnold/NASA

Hurricane Helene

Helene is a Category 2 hurricane that’s blowing winds between
96-110 mph. The storm may turn northward in the coming days and
bring a storm surge of up to 8 feet.

The object off to the bottom-right in the image is a Russian
Soyuz spacecraft that astronauts use to get to and from the ISS:

Richard
Arnold/NASA

Any of these storms could strengthen into more powerful cyclones
in the coming days.

Stay updated on our Hurricane Florence coverage here,
and please
prepare yourself now if any of these storms threaten an area
where you live.

This story has been updated with new information.