Hurricanes show their devastating power, but it seems recently, the storms also like to show their faces.
Weather Channel senior meteorologist Stu Ostro shared a satellite image of Hurricane Irma on Twitter late Friday that had sinister face-like features, including a grim mouth and disturbing eye.
Ostro paired the image with a similar one of Hurricane Matthew captured last October when that storm made landfall in Haiti. (We wrote about it here.)
For the second year in a row, an eerie #hurricane face on satellite images at landfall #Matthew #Irma pic.twitter.com/DSigBrYEYB
— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) September 9, 2017
Irma's image looks less terrifying than Matthew to some, primarily because the 2016 Matthew image appeared more skull-like, even baring its "teeth."
Some Twitter users found less frightening reminders in the image.
Irma kinda looks like someone familiar pic.twitter.com/0jFsvvgq5Q
— Raito (@Raitoish) September 9, 2017
I also see a bit of The Grinch in it too. pic.twitter.com/MnI6eHqQ2y
— Angie (@AngieSays) September 9, 2017
Looks like a pig. So when pigs fly? Welp, that time is here.
— The Rick (@ACOWproductions) September 9, 2017
What's eerie about a pink puppy?
— V Tony Loz (@VLo_79) September 9, 2017
irma looks like sonogram photo of evil elephant
— ceci (@ceci_StufF) September 9, 2017
The firstone is a skull but the second one is a turkey LOL
— Redvolucionario ★ ☯ (@Revolutionist77) September 10, 2017
Oh look, it's Snoopy! Snoopy would never hurt anybody... Here boy!
— A.J.Nasty (@zul1732) September 9, 2017
Now you have utterly creeped me out, Mr. O. Looks like Freddy coming to eat us. 😄 #Jacksonville
— SkeeterInSunshine (@stonly19) September 9, 2017
To me it looks like a heart with a whole in it! @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/ylN9f8auGn
— Rozzi Bea (@RozziBea) September 10, 2017
Of course, as some Twitter users pointed out, there's a name for the tendency our minds have to perceive some familiar pattern where none exists.
Not creepy at all. It's a scientific phenomenon called Pareidolia. Our minds try to find an object in randomness. Nothing supernatural
— Jennifer Fabulous! (@WhiteSoxJJ216) September 10, 2017
But some people can make everything about food, and that's at least a little comforting.
Nope still see veal parm. Now I'm hungry.
— Vin Crosby (@VinCrosby) September 9, 2017
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