Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30. ... Hurricane Elena, with wind speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour), was photographed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 1, 1985. Almost the entire storm can be seen in this high-oblique photograph. For instance, a number of thunderstorms with their overshooting tops, the spiral bands of numerous thunderstorms leading to the eye of the hurricane, and numerous cloud gravity waves within the spiral bands can be seen. Some portions of the eye wall, where the most destructive winds of the storm occur, are also visible. This storm eventually made landfall near Gulfport, Mississippi.
Hot Shot
Astronaut Ed Lu snapped this photo of the eye of Hurricane Isabel from the International Space Station on September 13, 2003 at 11:18 UTC. At the time, Isabel was located about 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. It had dropped to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, packing winds of 150 miles per hour with gusts up to 184 miles per hour. This photo shows the structure of Isabel's eyewall. What makes this photo unique is because no other sensor images the eyewalls of hurricane with such detail.
Fly in the Eye
NOAA P-3 flying in eye of Hurricane Caroline. Note the circular eye pictured just below the aircraft.
Category-5 Killer
On the week of August 24th, 1992, Atlantic-born Hurricane Andrew ripped through south Florida, barreled its way northwest across the Gulf of New Mexico, and slammed into Louisiana roughly one hundred miles southwest of New Orleans. Along the way, the Category 5 hurricane gave rise to 18-foot (5.5-meter) storm surges that inundated coastal towns and maximum sustained winds of 165 miles (266 kilometer) per hour that reduced entire neighborhoods to kindling. In the end, Andrew resulted in $25 billion in damages (1992 dollars) and more than 60 deaths, directly and indirectly through flooding.
Fast and Furious
This image features the eye of Hurricane Ivan at center, partially framed by solar array panels on the International Space Station. One of the strongest hurricanes on record, Ivan was photographed on September 11, 2004 from an altitude of about 230 miles by Astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, aboard the orbital outpost. At the time, Ivan was in the western Caribbean Sea and reported to have winds of 160 mph.
Commotion in the Ocean
This picture of Hurricane Alma, a Category 2 hurricane was captured on May 30, 2002. The hurricane sustained winds up to 110 miles per hour and gusts up to 135 miles per hour.
Eye of the Storm
A look into the eye of the storm from space was provided by astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke as Hurricane Ivan approached landfall on the central Gulf coast (22:02:35 GMT, Sept. 15, 2004).
Inside the Walls
Spectacular eye and eye wall photograph taken from NOAA P-3.
Fierce Winds
Hurricane Ivan was photographed as it entered the Gulf of Mexico (22:39:23 GMT, Sept. 13, 2004) by astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke aboard the International Space Station, 230 miles above Earth. At the time, Ivan was a category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph.
On the Move
Shown above is a NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Dora in the Eastern Pacific, taken Aug. 10, 1999.
Wild Weather
This picture of Hurricane Frances above the Bahamas, was taken aboard the International Space Station on September 4, 2004.
Beginning Stages
The crew of the International Space Station had a great seat from which to observe tropical storm Claudette, as it became a Category I hurricane. The storm came ashore with high winds up to 80 miles per hour and heavy rains that also drenched their Houston home base and the Coastal Bend of Texas. This digital image was recorded at 13:26:36 GMT, July 15, 2003. The view looks north from the coast near Brownsville at the Texas-Mexico border.
3-D View
This 3-D visualization allows a look into the eye of Hurricane Floyd September 15, 1999, less than 24 hours before a forecasted landfall in South Carolina. Floyd raked the East Coast, threatened New York City, than raced out to sea.
Stirred Up
Astronauts onboard the International Space Station photographed Hurricane Fabian on September 4, 2003 as it churned its way towards Bermuda. At the time the photo was taken, Fabian had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and was moving to the north-northwest at 12 mph.
Spiraling Arms
Image snapped by the crew of Space Shuttle Mission STS-82 in 1997.
