Long before Florence started grinding its way across the Carolinas, weather satellites were peering down from space to capture detailed images of the storm — now downgraded from hurricane to tropical-storm status — and to help meteorologists track its path and intensity. Weather satellites are operated by the U.S. and several other nations. But many of the Florence photos are coming from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16, or GOES-16, an American satellite that, since 2016, has been gazing down at the planet's surface from its geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles above the equator. (Geosynchronous means it matches Earth's orbit.) The satellites have transformed the way weather watchers and government officials track potentially deadly storms. Before satellites, there was no way to track a storm like Florence, said Chris Knowlton, assistant director of the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island. When a powerful hurricane struck Galveston, Texas, in 1900, it became the deadliest natural disaster in American history, killing roughly 8,000 people "because they didn’t know it was coming,” Knowlton said. Thanks in part to satellite data, meteorologists were able to issue detailed warnings about Florence days before it made landfall — and to predict with uncanny accuracy just where landfall would occur. “It’s one of the greatest tools we have today,” Knowlton said of satellite data. “We can say that they’re coming, where they’re going to make landfall, where people should evacuate.” NOAA's DSCOVR satellite captured this view of Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Isaac and Subtropical Storm Joyce NOAA Weather satellites captured data about Florence while it was still far out in the Atlantic Ocean, before land-based weather radar could track it or specialized “Hurricane Hunter” airplanes operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could reach it, said Joel Cline, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center. “They’re an immense help over the open ocean. That’s how we knew this storm came off Africa, Cline said, adding, “Out there where you don’t have Hunters, you’re telling ships to leave for their safety.” Knowlton said GOES-16, which is operated by NASA and NOAA, has “amazing capabilities.” It has far greater image resolution than the previous generation of satellites, he said, and it can better determine how storms form. The most important advance is the speed at which the satellite can take pictures. Knowlton said GOES-16 can capture images three times faster than its predecessor, GOES-14. "Having five minutes between pictures instead of [15] is huge," he said. "You can see it developing features. You can see the eyewall expanding or getting smaller." Weather satellites take pictures in daylight and, with the help of infrared cameras, at night. They gather information about a hurricane’s structure and wind speeds and help gauge the threat of flash floods when a storm hits land. The satellites can also measure the humidity around a storm and even the temperature of ocean waters. “The ocean is the heat source that drives the engine of the hurricane,” Knowlton said. Florence, which made landfall in North Carolina early Friday morning, has caused severe flooding and widespread power outages and has been blamed for at least six deaths. Want more stories about the environment? FOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.<doc-sep>Update for Thursday, Sept. 13: Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a Category 2 story late Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center, with is still forecasting massive rainfall and flooding for those directly in the storm's path. Visit our sister site Live Science for the latest Hurricane Florence forecast. As Hurricane Florence makes its way toward the U.S. East Coast, several satellites are monitoring the dangerous storm system with a variety of instruments. From tracking wind speeds, rainfall and temperatures to capturing breathtaking views of the spinning monstrosity of a storm, a fleet of satellites run by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing weather forecasters with the tools they need to keep people safe. Some of the most incredible views of Hurricane Florence so far have come from the International Space Station, where European Space Agency astronaut and skilled photographer Alexander Gerst has been snapping gorgeous images of the hurricane's eye from 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth. [Hurricane Florence in Photos: See the Massive Storm from Space] The GOES-East weather satellite, also known as GOES-16, captured this infrared image of Hurricane Florence nearing the East Coast on Sept. 12, 2018, at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 GMT). (Image credit: NOAA) While space station astronauts provide what are arguably the most impressive views of Florence from space, the most useful data and information about the storm comes from robotic spacecraft that orbit the Earth. The GOES-East satellite, also known as GOES-16, is one of the most high-tech weather satellites currently in orbit. Launched in 2016 as part of the joint NASA-NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program (GOES), this satellite hovers above Central America and provides continuous, high-definition imagery of the entire Western Hemisphere. See more GOES-East carries two Earth-observation instruments. Its primary instrument, called the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), records images of the Earth in 16 different spectral bands that capture infrared, near-infrared and visible wavelengths of light. See more Another instrument on GOES-East, the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), detects lightning flashes and storm updrafts, which "really helps the forecaster with what is called situational awareness," Steven Goodman, a program scientist for NOAA, said in a prelaunch press conference on Nov. 17, 2016. The GOES-West satellite, also known as GOES-15, has also managed to snap a few images of Hurricane Florence from the spacecraft's geostationary orbit above the Pacific Ocean. The GOES-15 weather satellite captured this view of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 11, 2018, at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). (Image credit: NOAA) Like GOES-East, GOES-West is equipped with a multispectral imager that records visible and infrared wavelengths of light. The satellite also has an atmospheric sounding instrument that measures the temperatures and moisture levels throughout the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is dedicated entirely to measuring, mapping and predicting rainfall. Data from the GPM Core Observatory satellite — a joint project between NASA and Japan's space agency — uses a microwave-imaging instrument and radars to generate global, 3D precipitation maps every 3 hours. See more Data from the GPM mission "is used to unify precipitation measurements made by an international network of partner satellites to quantify when, where and how much it rains or snows around the world," NASA officials said in a description of the mission. "The GPM mission contributes to advancing our understanding of Earth's water and energy cycles, improves the forecasting of extreme events that cause natural disasters, and extends current capabilities of using satellite precipitation information to directly benefit society," the description reads. See more To measure temperatures in and around storm systems, NASA's Aqua satellite uses an instrument called the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The Aqua satellite, which launched in 2002, collects information about Earth's water cycle, "including evaporation from the oceans, water vapor in the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice," NASA officials said in a description. The Suomi NPP satellite captured this infrared image of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, 2018, using an instrument known as the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). (Image credit: NOAA/NASA/NRL) When it isn't blowing our minds with incredible "Blue Marble" and "Black Marble" photos of Earth from space, NOAA's Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite also plays an important role in forecasting hurricanes and other weather systems. Launched in 2011, Suomi NPP orbits Earth 14 times per day while measuring temperature, pressure, cloud coverage and moisture levels around the globe. In addition to the visible-light images and weather data, Suomi NPP also helps climate scientists study climate change by mapping ozone levels, thermal radiation, wildfires and more. See more In a public advisory issued today (Sept. 12) at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Hurricane Florence — a life-threatening, Category 4 storm — is now expected to make landfall over North Carolina or South Carolina on Saturday (Sept. 15). Parts of coastal North Carolina could see up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) of rain, which could produce "catastrophic flash flooding and significant river flooding," according to the NHC advisory. For the most up-to-date information on Hurricane Florence and other major storms, visit nhc.noaa.gov. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.<doc-sep>Hurricane Florence is heading toward the U.S. East Coast, and the Category 4 storm is expected to make landfall in North Carolina or South Carolina by Saturday (Sept. 15). NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are keeping tabs on the storm with a fleet of weather satellites, while astronauts have photographed it from the International Space Station. The NOAA's GOES-East satellite has been keeping a constant, watchful eye on the hurricane from its geostationary orbit above the Western Hemisphere, and the latest imagery is both amazing and terrifying. See recent satellite images and animations of Hurricane Florence from space here. This article will be updated periodically with the newest views. [Hurricane Florence in Photos: See the Massive Storm from Space] See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more See more NASA Watches Hurricane Florence From Space (and at Sea Level) Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.<doc-sep>Hurricane Florence, the vast storm meteorologists and astronauts alike have been tracking, made landfall this morning (Sept. 14) near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. And cameras aboard the International Space Station managed to catch incredible footage just a few minutes after the storm's landfall. Government weather satellites captured this image of Hurricane Florence shortly after its landfall Sept. 14, 2018. (Image credit: NOAA) At the time, the storm carried winds of about 90 mph (145 km/h), making it a Category 1 storm, but that ranking belies the hurricane's massive clouds and the downpour it is visiting on the coastline, with some areas already drenched in 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain. Yesterday, the European Space Agency released a short video of astronauts aboard the space station watching the storm out of the cupola armed with powerful cameras to capture its giant knot of storm clouds. See more In the video, the astronauts expressed awe at the size of the storm, while also pointing out Isaac, a former tropical storm now making its way through the Caribbean. Satellites also continue to monitor Hurricane Florence as it passes over North Carolina to help meteorologists make more accurate predictions of how the storm will impact people living in the region. Right now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center is predicting that Florence will become a tropical storm tomorrow (Sept. 15) over South Carolina, continue northwest to eastern Kentucky, then swing northeast and track over most of New England early next week. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.<doc-sep>
Update for Thursday, Sept. 13: Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a Category 2 storm late Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center, with is still forecasting massive rainfall and flooding for those directly in the storm's path. Visit our sister site Live Science for the latest Hurricane Florence forecast. Hurricane Florence, on its way across the Atlantic Ocean toward North Carolina, dominates photos and video from the International Space Station, where astronauts are using wide-angle lenses because of how far the storm extends. The eye of category 4 Hurricane Florence is "chilling, even from space," according to German astronaut Alexander Gerst, who posted this image to Twitter on Sept. 12, 2018. (Image credit: A. Gerst/ESA/NASA) "Watch out, America!" German astronaut Alexander Gerst wrote on Twitter this morning (Sept. 12). "#HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km [250 miles] directly above the eye." "Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you," he added. [Hurricane Florence in Photos: See the Massive Storm from Space] From aboard the International Space Station, Alexander Gerst uses a special super- wide-angle lens to capture an image of the enormous Hurricane Florence barreling toward the East Coast. He posted this image to Twitter on Sept. 12, 2018. (Image credit: ESA/NASA) Gerst and American astronaut Ricky Arnold captured the Category 4 storm and its swirling eye up close in images posted to Twitter this morning, emphasizing its epic scale and their thoughts for people in its path. "#HurricaneFlorence this morning with Cape Hatteras #NorthCarolina in the foreground," Arnold wrote this morning. "The crew of @Space_Station is thinking of those who will be affected." Another view from astronaut Alexander Gerst of the eye of Hurricane Florence, posted to Twitter on Sept. 12, 2018. (Image credit: A. Gerst/ESA/NASA) Florence is set to reach the coastline of North and South Carolina early Friday (Sept. 14), according to NASA and the National Hurricane Center (NHC), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Winds this morning reached 130 mph (200 km/h) and will likely strengthen before it arrives, officials said. For the Carolinas, the NHC predicts a "life-threatening storm surge and rainfall." An image taken by NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold of Hurricane Florence in the Atlantic Ocean, approaching the Carolinas on Sept. 12, 2018. (Image credit: Astro_Ricky/Twitter) Quick on Florence's heels, two more powerful storms are crossing the Atlantic, tracked by NASA satellites: Tropical Storm Isaac and Hurricane Helene. Helene will likely wear itself out before hitting land, the NHC said in its latest forecast, and Isaac, which has been downgraded from a hurricane, is on its way to the Caribbean, officials said. From the International Space Station, Alexander Gerst warns the East Coast to get ready for Hurricane Florence in this photo posted to Twitter on Sept. 12, 2018: "This is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you." (Image credit: ESA/NASA) But Florence is at the front of the line, and is certainly at the forefront of astronaut thoughts and those in the U.S. Southeast "Ever stared down the gaping eye of a category 4 hurricane?" Gerst wrote. "It's chilling, even from space." Astronaut Alexander Gerst provides a view straight down into the eye of Hurricane Florence, headed toward the U.S. Southeast as of Sept. 12, 2018. (Image credit: A. Gerst/ESA/NASA) Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.