Astronauts snap surreal images of Hurricane Dorian from the ISS

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have brought us enlightening imagery of our planet and the freak weather events that can ravage it. Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall in Grand Bahama on Sunday, is the latest that inhabitants of the orbiting laboratory have photographed from the top down, offering a unique and frightening perspective of the eye of the storm.

At the time of writing, Hurricane Dorian has already caused significant damage in the 24 hours or so since reaching Grand Bahama. Some 13,000 homes have suffered severe damage as a huge storm surge sweeps across the northernmost island of the Bahamas, flooding roads and leaving five people dead.

The brutality of the storm was not lost on NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who tweeted this surreal photo from the ISS, along with well wishes for those on the ground.

Fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch was another to turn her camera towards Dorian as the ISS flew over the top of the storm.

While these astronauts with their cameras 250 miles (408 km) above the storm have been able to capture some incredible imagery, satellites in orbit around the Earth offer another useful vantage point. From much further away.

Coastal flooding reached Miami early Monday morning and more than 1,300 flights have been canceled in the US. Authorities expect Hurricane Dorian to come "dangerously close" to Florida where evacuation orders are in place, along with South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.

Source: NASA