Irene was a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) and stronger gusts when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on August 15, 2005. The third hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season, Irene is not expected to threaten land.
While Hurricane Irene may not affect the United States or Canada, it is having an effect on haze over the Atlantic Ocean. Hot, humid weather in the Mid-Atlantic states has allowed pollution to build up. As the haze flows out to sea, it is encountering Hurricane Irene, which is steering the haze in a wide circle around its northern edge.
The large image provided above is at MODIS maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in
from the MODIS Rapid Response Team.
References & Resources
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
