Image Credit: NASA (Click on image for larger view.)
A violent tornado touched down in Arkansas on April 27, 2014, killing as many as 15 people. The left image, from April 25 and acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows the area before the storm. The right image, acquired on April 28, shows what appears to be a tornado track north of Little Rock, Arkansas. The tracks are pale brown trails where trees and plants have been uprooted, leaving disturbed ground.
The difference in clarity between the two images is likely due to the centering of the scene beneath the satellite. On April 25, Aqua flew more directly over the area, while on April 27, it observed the Little Rock area from a slightly offset angle.
References:
- National Weather Service (2014, April 28) Tornadoes/Flooding on April 27-28, 2014. Accessed April 28, 2011.
-
Arkansas Blog (2014, April 28) Mapping the tornado’s path. Accessed April 28, 2011.
- Instrument(s): Aqua - MODIS
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.
