In Photos: Hurricane Maria Seen from Space

Hurricane Maria developed into a Category 5 storm for a second time on Sept. 19, the morning after it made landfall over the Caribbean island of Dominica. The storm weakened to a Category 4 after making landfall but quickly regained strength once it moved back over the warm ocean water. This view of the hurricane was acquired by the GOES-16 satellite, which is operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

On Sept. 19 at 2:15 a.m. EDT (0615 UTC), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite measured the temperatures of Hurricane Maria’s cloud tops. ​The data showed temperatures consistent with strong thunderstorms in Maria’s eyewall at about minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius).

The massive Category 5 storm boiled across the Caribbean Sea on Sept. 19. NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured this visible-light image at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).

On Sept. 19, the NOAA issued a tropical-storm-force wind advisory that would remain in effect through Sept. 24.

NOAA’s GOES-16 captured this geocolor image of Hurricanes Jose and Maria and Tropical Depression Lee simultaneously churning through the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 18.

This image of Hurricane Maria was taken by NOAA’s GOES East satellite on Sept. 18 at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT) as it strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane just east of the Leeward Islands. Hurricane Maria made landfall on the Caribbean island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm later that day at 9:15 p.m. EDT (0115 GMT on Sept. 19).

This graphic shows areas affected by Hurricane Maria, and the expected dates and times when the storm will arrive at those locations. The NOAA released this forecast on Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT).

At a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Maria trekked across the Caribbean Sea toward the Leeward Islands in this GOES satellite image taken on Sept. 18.

On Sept. 18, NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite measured Hurricane Maria’s cell at an imposing 10.41 miles (16.75 kilometers) altitude, stretching into the lower stratosphere.

Hurricane Maria is seen by NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite (also known as GOES East) as the storm was located about 60 miles east of Martinique and moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph on Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. EDT. At the time, Maria was a Category 3 hurricane. It later strengthened to a Category 5.

NASA’s GOES-East satellite captured this view of Hurricane Maria on Sept. 18 as the Category 3 storm quickly evolved into a Category 5.

Using the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite, experts found that Hurricane Maria contained falling rain at the rate of over 6 inches (15 centimeters) per hour. The thunderstorms inside Maria measure to more than a towering 9 miles high. The GPM satellite captured this view on Sept. 17 at 10:01 p.m. EDT (0201 GMT on Sept. 18).

On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria traveled east of the American Virgin Islands and partially over Puerto Rico.

On Sept. 19, The GPM mission’s radar measured extreme storms within Hurricane Maria with rain falling at over 5 inches per hour.

The GOES-East satellite captured this image of Hurricane Maria as a Category 4 storm crossing Puerto Rico.