This is what astronauts saw from 250 miles above Category 4 Hurricane Matthew
Cameras aboard the International Space Station captured a unique view of powerful Hurricane Matthew as it moved toward Haiti on Monday, packing sustained winds of 140 miles per hour.
The storm threatens to unleash a disaster in Haiti, primarily due to its tremendous rainfall potential in a nation that has widespread deforestation. This means that if, as is forecast, up to 40 or more inches of rain fall, deadly mudslides could result as hilly slopes give way.
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The potential calamity on the ground seems remote when viewing the storm from space. From 250 miles high, the storm fills the entire screen, appearing to be almost a piece of art, with its symmetrical spiral shape and cleared out, cloud-free eye.
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It's difficult to believe, but at around the same time the Space Station overflew the storm, hurricane hunter aircraft were flying through its turbulent winds to keep tabs on its intensity and direction.
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Without a doubt, the astronauts aboard the Space Station had the smoother ride.
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
