NASA flies over 3 hurricanes in one day and makes amazing time-lapse video
A new video from NASA shows all three powerful hurricanes currently churning waters on Earth as seen by the International Space Station in one day.
Two hurricanes in the Pacific -- Madeline and Lester -- have the potential to threaten Hawaii, and Hurricane Gaston is still in the open Atlantic Ocean.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
All three of them are on stark display in the new time-lapse video taken on Aug. 30 from the Space Station.
You May Also Like
The station's cameras were able to capture all of these storms in one day thanks to the incredible speed at which the outpost is moving.
In order to stay in orbit, the laboratory needs to speed above Earth at more than 17,000 miles per hour, making a full circuit of the planet every 90 minutes, and giving astronauts an amazing view of all of Earth's landscapes.
A 10-minute NASA video also shows more footage of the storms as captured by cameras on the station.
If Madeline or Lester were to make landfall on the Big Island of Hawaii, it would be the first time a hurricane were to do so since record-keeping began in 1949.
Hurricane Madeline is now considered a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, and it has a real chance of threatening the Big Island with high winds, rain and surf.
The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for the Big Island, with conditions expected to hit hurricane status within 36 hours there.
Hawaii is usually a pretty inhospitable place for hurricanes because it's surrounded by somewhat cool waters that weaken tropical storms and hurricanes that make it into the area.
This year, however, the waters are warmer than average for this time of year, making the area more friendly for storms.
The statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season should occur on Sept. 10, and forecasters are watching another storm emerging off Africa that could develop into a hurricane in the next week.
If it forms, it would likely be named Ian.
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.
