Hurricane Florence: Photos from Space Station show how massive it is

Frank Carnevale
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 1:33 p.m. | Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 1:33 p.m.

This photo provided by NASA shows Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, as it threatens the U.S. East Coast. Forecasters said Florence could become an extremely dangerous major hurricane sometime Monday and remain that way for days. (NASA via AP)

Hurricane Florence is big.

The monster storm is headed towards the Carolinas on Wednesday and bringing along 140 mph winds and drenching rain that could last for days. Forecasters expected Florence to blow ashore late Thursday or early Friday, then slow down and dump a torrential 1 to 2½ feet of rain on the coast.

When seen from space the size of the storm starts to come into focus. European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst posted photos of the massive storm from the International Space Station.

And he warns, “Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons”

Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station , 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons pic.twitter.com/ovZozsncfh

— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) September 12, 2018

Ever stared down the gaping eye of a category 4 hurricane? It's chilling, even from space. #HurricaneFlorence #Horizons https://t.co/RdDmGgduou pic.twitter.com/2TlMghY4OL

— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) September 12, 2018

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold, also aboard the ISS, posted some photos Tuesday when it was a little further out. The storm seen from space shows how much of it stretches across the horizon.

#HurricaneFlorence this morning with Cape Hatteras #NorthCarolina in the foreground. The crew of @Space_Station is thinking of those who will be affected. pic.twitter.com/XsQ7Zwurfa

— Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) September 12, 2018

A high-definition camera outside the International Space Station captured video Tuesday.

Here on Earth, closer to the storm, like directly in it, the Air Force Resevrce’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it Tuesday to measure the storm and brought back some video.

Footage of #HurricaneFlorence2018 from today's @53rdWRS @AirForceReserve Hurricane Hunter mission. pic.twitter.com/kTEm19C3CO

— Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) September 11, 2018

Frank Carnevale is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Frank at 412-380-8511, fcarnevale@tribweb.com or via Twitter @frnkstar.