Science

Here Are the Most Breathtaking Photos of Tropical Storm Patricia

Looking into the eye of the storm.

@StationCDRKelly via Twitter

Thankfully, Patricia (a.k.a. the tropical-storm-formerly-known-as-a-hurricane) has calmed down significantly since initial reports that the then-hurricane was going to devastate Mexico’s Pacific coastline.

Here are a few of the most epic, eye-popping photos (and a video) of Hurricane Tropical Storm Patricia from above:

NASA looks at then-Hurricane Patricia under infrared lighting. 

UW/CIMSS/William Straka III via Flickr

Astronaut Scott Kelly — record-breaker for most days spent in space — had a particularly stunning vantage of Patricia over the past 24 hours as the storm grew and dissipated:

However, looking at an astronaut’s-eye-view of what seems like a huge, whirling mass of frothed milk don’t necessarily impress the gravity of these storms as they actually hit land.

We’ve collected some of the photos of Patricia on the coastline to give a more simpler perspective of what actually happens when huge storms make landfall and what goes into prepping the communities in those areas: