Mammoth Hurricane Irma, Jose's scope breathtaking from space

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Friday, September 8, 2017
Scope of mammoth Irma, Jose breathtaking from space
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station shot breathtaking footage of Irma and Jose as they churned away on Friday.

For the first time in years, there are three hurricanes in the Atlantic. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station shot breathtaking footage of Irma and Jose - the larger two storms - as they churned toward land.

The space station first passed 250 miles over Jose, a Category 4 storm moving west-northwest through the open Atlantic. As Jose nears, watches and warnings are in effect for several islands in the Lesser Antilles including St. Martin and Barbuda, which were devastated by Hurricane Irma earlier this week.

Two hours later, the space station flew over Irma, a physically massive and potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm that has prompted watches and warnings on both Florida coasts and evacuations for more than 1.4 million residents along the southeastern seaboard.

The third hurricane, Katia, is a Category 2 storm in the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to impact Mexico this weekend.

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NASA imagery shows a waterlogged southeast Texas visible even from space.