NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick took this photo of Hurricane Beryl over the Caribbean from the ISS on 1 July 2024. NASA uses both data from satellites and photos like these to track hurricanes from space. This information is invaluable for first responders and scientists studying the effects of climate change on hurricanes.

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same type of storms, known as tropical cyclones, and they form in a similar way. When warm, moist air rises above the ocean surface, a low-pressure region is created. Air from surrounding areas with higher pressure is drawn into this low-pressure region. This new incoming air also warms and moistens, then rises. The rising air cools and forms clouds. This cloud and wind system rotates and grows, fuelled by the heat of the ocean and water evaporating from the surface.

The apparent "eye" of the storm is caused by the rapid rotation of the system. Tropical cyclones are categorised from 1 to 5 according to wind speed. For example, Category 1 hurricanes have wind speeds between 74-95 mph (119-153 kph), while a Category 4 hurricane, as in Hurricane Beryl, has wind speeds of 130-156 mph (209-251 kph).

Image description:

This photograph shows the view of Hurricane Beryl from the International Space Station. The hurricane consists of a large circle of white clouds, with its spiral arms visible at right and bottom centre. The surrounding water is in different shades of blue: light blue in the upper part of the photo, dark blue in the lower part. The curve of the Earth is clearly visible in the background against the darkness of space.