NASA sees Hurricane Florence open an evil-looking eye

Hurricanes have a life cycle, moving from tropical storm to full-on hurricane. NASA's Aqua satellite caught Hurricane Florence developing an eye Sunday as the storm ramped up its intensity. 

NASA's infrared data shows the strengthening eye in angry red, glaring from the center of the image. 

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Residents of the US East Coast are preparing for the storm's arrival as the National Weather Service warned on Monday that "Florence is forecast to bring devastating rainfall and flooding from the coast to the Appalachians."

The Aqua satellite measured the temperature of the cloud tops and found they reached a chilly minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). "NASA research has found that cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to generate heavy rainfall," the space agency says.

The Aqua satellite was just one view from space of the increasingly alarming hurricane activity. NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold, currently on board the International Space Station, shared a fresh look at Florence from above on Monday. You can clearly see the dimple at the center of the swirling clouds in Arnold's images. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Goes-East weather-monitoring satellite captured an eye-opening loop of Florence churning in the Atlantic.

The National Hurricane Center is advising people in the hurricane's path to prepare for potentially life-threatening storm surges, freshwater flooding and damaging winds as Florence impacts the US this week.  

NASA sees breathtaking clouds on Earth and beyond

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