The International Space Station (ISS) has captured breathtaking footage of Hurricane Idalia from space as well as Hurricane Franklin.
External cameras on the ISS captured views of a strengthening Hurricane Idalia yesterday (Tuesday, August 29) as the spacecraft flew 260 miles above the eastern Gulf of Mexico southwest of Florida.
At the time, Idalia was a Category 1 storm with winds of 85 miles per hour. Now, it has made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend and is classed as a “life-threatening” Category 3 storm.
“Don’t mess with this storm. Don’t do anything that will put yourself in jeopardy,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned in an early morning press conference today.
Hurricane Idalia has already submerged homes and 160,000 are without power with hundreds of flights canceled.
A forecast model has also shown that Hurricane Idalia could hit the state of Florida twice over the coming week. The Global Forecasting System, predicts that Idalia will first make landfall on Florida’s Big Bend region on Wednesday morning before turning out over the Atlantic and doubling back toward South Florida in a much-weakened form.
Wicked western eyewall in Perry, FL of Idalia ripping Perry apart. #Idalia #hurricaneidalia pic.twitter.com/s1cxxmezRi
— Aaron Jayjack (@aaronjayjack) August 30, 2023
Meanwhile, footage from the ground shows the city of Perry, Florida being torn apart by Hurricane Idalia and a timelapse video from Steinhatchee shows a structure being carried away by storm surges on the ocean’s edge.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO | Heartbreaking footage to watch. This is a time-lapse video from Steinhatchee, Florida early Wednesday morning as storm surge from Hurricane Idalia pushed ashore. Surge values could top out over 10 feet in spots around this location. #Idalia #FLwx pic.twitter.com/xyMABT0Ylq
— Zach Covey (@ZachCoveyTV) August 30, 2023
Floridians will be praying that Idalia is not as bad as Hurricane Ian which made a devastating impact last year after it swept away occupied houses.
Hurricane Franklin ISS Footage
In a separate video, the ISS, which orbits Earth every 90 minutes, captured stunning footage of Hurricane Franklin as it moved across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Franklin is causing swells in Bermuda but the Category 3 hurricane is expected to weaken as it passes the island’s northwest.
Image credits: Courtesy of NASA/International Space Station.