MISR Captures Hurricane Michael's Eye in 3D

MISR's stereo anaglyph shows a three-dimensional view of Michael and combines two of MISR's nine camera angles. Using 3D red-blue glasses, you can see the 3D effect. Apparent in the 3D stereo anaglyph as well as the height field are a number of bright "clumps." These are groups of strong thunderstorms embedded within the larger circulation of the hurricane. Known as "vortical hot towers" the presence of these features indicates rapid transport of heat energy from the ocean surface into the storm, typically indicative of rapid intensification of the hurricane. In fact, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. EDT, while MISR imaged the hurricane, the estimated central pressure dropped 8 hPa and the maximum sustained winds increased about 12 mph (19 kph) and over the next 24 hours Hurricane Michael intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 4 storm.

The National Hurricane Center clocked Michael's sustained wind speed at 150 mph (240 kph) just before noon local time on Wednesday. It is expected to bring strong winds, storm surge and heavy rain to much of the southeast.

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The instrument flies aboard the Terra satellite, which is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center in Hampton, Virginia. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena.

More information about MISR is available at https://misr.jpl.nasa.gov/.