On October 10, 2008, Hurricane Norbert retained a Category 2 hurricane status as it headed toward Baja California. The storm had maximum sustained wind speeds near 165 kilometers (105 miles) per hour, with higher gusts, and posed a threat to property and lives along Baja California’s west coast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the storm at 1:45 p.m. local time (20:45 UTC) on October 10. According to the National Hurricane Center’s warning, issued 15 minutes later, the eye of the storm was located roughly 395 kilometers (245 miles) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. In this image, clouds swirl out from the hurricane’s eye, stretching over both Baja California and mainland Mexico.
NASA images created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
