The three astronauts living on the International Space Station caught a terrifying glimpse of Hurricane Michael arriving on the western coast of Florida earlier today (Oct. 10).
"That's one scary-looking storm," NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor said in an audio feed from the station shortly before the storm hit land.
Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm after rapidly strengthening winds hit speeds of over 150 mph (240 km/h). The storm hit roared ashore along the Florida Panhandle, between Tyndall Air Force Base and Mexico Beach, according to NASA.
After the space station passed over the storm, Auñón-Chancellor shared a photograph of the storm's eye.
According to a tweet published by the National Weather Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the director of the NWS called this landfall a "worst case scenario for the Florida Panhandle."
The dire verdict is due in part to the extremely rapid strengthening of the storm, from Category 2 in the morning. That sort of timetable can make evacuations more difficult to manage.
Hurricane Michael is predicted to travel northeast across the southern U.S., reaching the Atlantic Ocean again on tomorrow night (Oct. 11). Then the remains of the storm will rapidly travel across the ocean toward Ireland.
If you live in an area affected by the hurricane, you can find the latest forecasts and warnings at the National Hurricane Center's website.
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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