JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

NASA's AIRS captures Hurricane Michael off Florida coast

Oct 10, 2018
This image, taken on Oct. 10, 2018 by NASA's Aqua satellite shows the temperature of clouds or the surface in and around Hurricane Michael as it approaches northwestern Florida.

This image from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) shows the temperature of clouds or the surface in and around Hurricane Michael as it approaches northwestern Florida around 3 AM local time on Tuesday, October 10, 2018. The storm shows all the hallmarks of a powerful, mature hurricane. The large purple area indicates very cold clouds at about -90° F (-68° C) carried high into the atmosphere by deep thunderstorms. These storm clouds are associated with very heavy rainfall. At the center of the cold clouds is the distinct, much warmer eye of the hurricane seen in green. The extensive areas of red away from the storm indicate temperatures of around 60° F (15° C), typical of the surface of the Earth at night. These red areas are mostly cloud-free, with the clear air caused by air motion outward from the cold clouds near the storm center then downward in the surrounding areas. Michael has developed quickly into a dangerous Category 4 storm, with sustained wind of 150 miles per hour. It is currently coming ashore on the Florida Panhandle as the strongest hurricane in that region in recorded history.

AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, senses emitted infrared and microwave radiation from Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations down to Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. Launched into Earth orbit in 2002, the AIRS and AMSU instruments fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

More information about AIRS can be found at https://airs.jpl.nasa.gov.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
  • Aquarius
Target
  • Earth
Spacecraft
  • Aqua
Instrument
  • Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Keep Exploring

NASA's AIRS Instrument Monitors Carbon Monoxide From California Wildfires

AIRS Captures Hurricane Douglas

AIRS Captures Tropical Storm Hanna

Tropical Storm Fay 2020

NASA's AIRS Displays Sulfur Dioxide Plumes After Raikoke Eruption, June 2019

AIRS Measures the Clouds in Hurricane Dorian

NASA's AIRS Maps Carbon Monoxide from Brazil Fires

NASA's AIRS Images Tropical Storm Barry Before Landfall

NASA's AIRS Images Cyclone Fani Before Landfall

NASA's AIRS Images Cyclone Kenneth over Mozambique

Related Topic

News .

Warming Seas Are Accelerating Greenland’s Glacier Retreat

Topic .

Earth

Infographic .

Inside Hurrricanes

News .

NASA, US and European Partner Satellite Returns First Sea Level Measurements

News .

NASA Confirms New SIMPLEx Mission Small Satellite to Blaze Trails Studying Lunar Surface

News .

New Data Confirm 2020 SO to Be the Upper Centaur Rocket Booster From the 1960's

News .

Follow Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in Real Time As It Orbits Earth

News .

US-European Mission Launches to Monitor the World's Oceans

Video .

NASA and SpaceX Launch U.S.-European Mission to Monitor World’s Ocean

News .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite Prepared for Launch

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono