NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured a striking image of Hurricane Beryl over the Caribbean on July 1, 2024, from the International Space Station and shared it on X. The hurricane, classified as Category 4, had winds reaching approximately 130 mph (215 kph).
Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, form over the Atlantic or eastern Pacific Oceans and are fueled by warm, moist air. This air rises from the ocean’s surface, creating a low-pressure area below. Higher pressure air from surrounding areas moves into this low-pressure zone, warms up, and rises, continuing the cycle.
As the warm air rises and cools, it forms clouds, and the entire system of clouds and wind begins to spin and grow, powered by the ocean’s heat and evaporating water. NASA studies hurricanes from space using images like the one captured by Dominick and data from various satellites. This vantage point allows scientists to understand how climate change affects hurricanes and helps communities better prepare for these powerful storms in a warming world.
