Hurricane Harvey: Photos of the Massive Storm from Space

NOAA’s GOES-East satellite captured this visible-light image of Tropical Storm Harvey on Wednesday (Aug. 30) at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT) after it made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana at 4 a.m. CDT (0900 GMT).

NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite measured the soil surface conditions in southeastern Texas on Aug. 21-22. These observations showed that soil was very wet a few days before (left) Harvey made landfall, with moisture levels in the 20 to 40 percent range. After Harvey made landfall Friday night (Aug. 25), the southwest portion of Houston became exceptionally wet (right), signaling the arrival of heavy rains and widespread flooding.

On Aug. 29 at 3:03 a.m. CDT (0803 GMT), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite captured a nighttime image of Harvey that showed the center of circulation had moved back into the Gulf of Mexico.

This map shows the total rainfall estimates from NASA’s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) data for Harvey from Wednesday (Aug. 23) to Tuesday (Aug. 29), as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico and stalled over Texas. The IMERG totals showed over 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the Houston metro area and part of the western Gulf of Mexico.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik posted on Twitter this photo of Harvey, captured from the International Space Station (ISS), on Aug. 24, 2017.

Another view of Harvey by Bresnik.

Bresnik posted this photo of Harvey on Twitter on Aug. 28, 2017, along with these words: #Harvey – still a menace! Hearts & prayers go out to families, friends, & fellow Texans dealing with this storm. #TexasStrong #HoustonStrong

Bresnik’s ISS crewmate, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, posted this photo of Hurricane Harvey on Twitter on Aug. 25, 2017, along with the following words: “Oh boy – looks like a ton of rain is about to unload. Here’s a prayer for family, friends & everyone in #HurricaneHarvey’s path — stay safe.”

Another view of Hurricane Harvey captured from the ISS by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, on Aug. 25, 2017.

On Aug. 25, 2017, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed Hurricane Harvey from the cupola module aboard the International Space Station as it intensified on its way toward the Texas coast.

A snapshot of Hurricane Harvey captured by astronaut Jack Fischer and posted on Aug. 26.

The GOES-16 satellite captured this geocolor image of Tropical Storm Harvey in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 24, 2017. Geocolor imagery enhancement shown here displays geostationary satellite data in different ways depending on whether it is day or night. This image, captured as daylight moves into the area, offers a blend of both, with nighttime features on the left side of the image and daytime on the right.

Europe’s Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite saw the temperature at the top of Hurricane Harvey drop just after midnight EDT on Aug. 25 (0400 GMT) as the storm approached Texas.

This visible-light image of Hurricane Harvey taken from NOAA’s GOES East satellite on Aug. 25 at 10:07 a.m. EDT (1407 GMT) clearly shows the storm’s eye as the storm nears landfall on Texas’ southeast coast.

NOAA’s GOES-East satellite captured this visible image of Tropical Storm Harvey over Texas on Aug. 27 at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 UTC).

Tropical Storm Harvey is seen early Aug. 28, 2017 as it moves back toward the Gulf of Mexico in this NASA image from the GOES Earth-observation satellites.

The Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) core observatory satellite flew almost directly above intensifying Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 24, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) and indicated that powerful storms in the hurricane were dropping rain at a rate of over 2.1 inches (5.4 centimeters) per hour.

NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27 at 3:47 a.m. EDT (0747 UTC) gathering temperature data in infrared light (purple).

This infrared view of Tropical Storm Harvey was captured Aug. 28, 2017 by NASA’s Aqua satellite. The strongest storms appear in purple and stretch from southeastern Texas to Louisiana, and into the Gulf of Mexico.