(NEXSTAR) – The view on land in Florida Thursday afternoon was overcast and stormy, but incoming Hurricane Helene looked even more ominous from space.
The storm was upgraded to a Category 3 as it barreled toward the Florida coast. It could be seen churning over the Gulf of Mexico and picking up steam in satellite videos taken by NOAA.
The bands of clouds stretching out from the hurricane's eye are so vast, they obscure almost the entire Southeastern United States when seen from space.