Jaw-dropping satellite imagery of Hurricane Milton shows what Florida is facing as the Category 4 storm bears down on the Gulf Coast.
Footage from the International Space Station (ISS) and satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES satellites captured the eerie spectacle of Milton’s “pinhole eye” — a small, tightly wound center characteristic of rapidly intensifying hurricanes.
At 10:28 a.m. EDT October 7, the space station flew over Hurricane Milton and external cameras captured views of the category 5 storm, packing winds of 175 miles an hour, moving across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida. pic.twitter.com/MTtdUosiEc
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 7, 2024
The GOES imagery shows the storm’s eye, just a few nautical miles in diameter, which signals the potential for extreme strength. The vivid colors in the satellite images reveal the deep convection occurring within the storm, indicating powerful thunderstorms and intense energy.
The GOES-19 satellite, operated by NOAA, also provided chilling footage of Hurricane Milton’s powerful small eye, showcasing the storm’s compact and formidable structure. Satellite imagery shared by Colorado State University’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) has shown flashes of lightning bursting across Milton’s eye wall, emphasizing the ferocity of the storm. The combination of lightning and the tightly wound eye is a clear indicator of the storm’s continued intensity and potential for further strengthening.
WATCH: The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University released this satellite view of Hurricane Milton. https://t.co/buTPXLJ1ix pic.twitter.com/Q3yZHLpHz0
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 8, 2024
Meteorologist Noah Bergren describes the storm’s intensity as “astronomical,” adding on X (formerly Twitter) that Milton is nearing the atmospheric limits of what Earth’s ocean waters can produce.
The National Weather Service warned that although Hurricane Milton has weakened slightly, it still poses an extremely serious threat to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Almost the entire west coast of Florida is under a hurricane warning, with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour) expected to bring devastating damage.
Hurricane Milton’s arrival comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. since Katrina, caused over 200 fatalities and left a path of devastation from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.