COWVR, TEMPEST Capture Vital Data on Hurricane Idalia

A pair of weather instruments built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California captured images of Hurricane Idalia as the storm approached the Gulf Coast of Florida on Aug. 29, 2023. COWVR (short for Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer) and TEMPEST (Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems) observe the planet's atmosphere and surface from aboard the International Space Station, which passed in low Earth orbit over this area at about 11:34 a.m. EDT. Idalia was forecast to make landfall in Florida on Aug. 30. This image combines microwave emissions measurements from both COWVR and TEMPEST. White sections indicate the presence of clouds. Green portions indicate rain. Yellow, red, and black indicate where air and water vapor were moving most vigorously. Idalia's center is seen about 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of the Florida Keys, and rainfall is indicated on the western end of Cuba. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25569