![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/48CB69E4-C361-474D-B0AD-015691DA500F/B4YKDX.jpg)
Hurricane Norbert, south of Baja, California USA
In the Eastern Pacific in the early afternoon hours of October 8 2008 Hurricane Norbert grew to a Category 4 hurricane By October 12 the storm was expected to pass over the southern end of Baja California and reach inland in northern Mexico according to the U S National Hurricane Center The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer MODIS on NASA s Aqua satellite captured this image of the storm at 1 55 p m local time 20 55 UTC According to the National Hurricane Center s warning issued within minutes of this image acquisition the eye of the storm was located roughly 715 kilometers 445 miles south of the southern tip of Baja Caifornia Although the storm appears within striking distance of Baja California s La Paz and mainland resort towns Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta in this image its path remained uncertain on October 8 According to the National Hurricane Center s predictions Norbert might veer slightly toward the northwest sparing some towns that initially appeared to be within its path On October 8 2008 Hurricane Norbert had maximum sustained winds speeds near 215 kilometers 135 miles per hour with higher gusts and hurricane force winds extended 55 kilometers 35 miles outward from the storm s center By the following day the storm had weakened somewhat but remained a major hurricane now centered some 620 kilometers 385 miles south southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Its maximum sustained winds now reduced to 185 kilometers 115 miles per hour remained strong enough to meddle with cruise ship itineraries along the Pacific Coast of Mexico
Size: 4114px × 5400px
Location: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Photo credit: © NASA / Dembinsky Photo Associates / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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