The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released striking satellite footage of Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida, vividly illustrating the storm’s intensity from space. The footage, shared on Thursday, showcases the hurricane’s massive spiraling structure as it hit Florida’s west coast, accompanied by vivid lightning bursts illuminating the storm’s center.
Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, its eye surrounded by dense cloud bands stretching hundreds of miles. The satellite imagery highlights the hurricane’s significant impact across Florida and neighboring states. NOAA’s GOES-East satellite provided visible cloud images every 30 seconds, capturing the storm’s approach and revealing frequent lightning detected by the satellite’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument.
One of the most striking features of the footage is the intense lightning activity in southern Florida, where the storm triggered multiple tornadoes. The electrifying visuals emphasize the severe weather conditions on the ground as the storm tore through the region.
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As Milton moved across central Florida on Thursday, it left widespread destruction in its wake, with winds reaching 120 mph at landfall. The hurricane uprooted trees, destroyed homes, and knocked out power to nearly 2 million residents.
Meteorologists and emergency officials are closely monitoring satellite data to track the hurricane’s progress and ensure timely alerts for public safety. Although Milton has since weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, it continues to pose significant risks as it moves inland.
