Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
After a relatively quiet start to the Atlantic hurricane season, Erin became the first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin on Aug.15 and rapidly intensified into a major Category 5 storm the following day. This intensification is one of the fastest on record.
Learn how NOAA satellites monitored the storm:
nesdis.noaa.gov/news/category-5-erin-the-first-atlantic-hurricane-of-2025
Credits:
NOAA, NASA, The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
Music:
“Gaining Positivity” by Ho Ling Tang [BMI] & Harry Gregson Williams [BMI]; Atmosphere Music Ltd. [PRS]; Universal Production Music
After a relatively quiet start to the Atlantic hurricane season, Erin became the first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin on Aug.15 and rapidly intensified into a major Category 5 storm the following day. This intensification is one of the fastest on record.
Learn how NOAA satellites monitored the storm:
nesdis.noaa.gov/news/category-5-erin-the-first-atlantic-hurricane-of-2025
Credits:
NOAA, NASA, The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
Music:
“Gaining Positivity” by Ho Ling Tang [BMI] & Harry Gregson Williams [BMI]; Atmosphere Music Ltd. [PRS]; Universal Production Music






![Earth from Orbit: Vernal Equinox
Spring has officially sprung here in the Northern Hemisphere—while in the Southern Hemisphere, autumn has begun!
The vernal equinox—the official start of astronomical spring—occurred on Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 11:33 a.m. EDT.
There are only two times of the year when the Earths axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes.These events are referred to as equinoxes and occur in the spring (vernal) and fall (autumnal).
The word “equinox” is derived from two Latin words—aequus (equal) and nox (night). At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on these two equinoxes. The nearly equal hours of day and night is due to refraction of sunlight, or a bending of the lights rays that causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon. Additionally, the days become a little longer at higher latitudes farther from the equator, because it takes the sun longer to rise and set.
The seasons change at various times of the year due to the planet’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun. This tilt means the two hemispheres are exposed to different sun angles and variable lengths of daylight throughout the year. The equinoxes are the only two times a year that the sun rises exactly due east and sets due west for nearly every place on Earth.
While astronomical spring began on March 20, meteorological spring began on March 1. Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, while meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle. Meteorological seasons begin on the first day of the months that include the equinoxes and solstices.Thus, meteorological spring began on March 1 and will end on May 31. Astronomical spring will officially end, and astronomical summer will begin, on the summer solstice on Tuesday, June 21 at 5:13 a.m. EDT.
From their position 22,236 miles above the equator, NOAA’s GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites orbit at the same rate Earth rotates, so they can keep constant watch over the same region. This allows them to view the terminator—the edge between the shadows of nightfall and the sunlight of dusk and dawn—as it moves across the Western Hemisphere.The slope of the terminator curve changes with the seasons. During an equinox, the terminator is a straight north-south line over the equator. Throughout the year, NOAA satellites observe this marker of seasonal change.
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Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music:
“Sylvan Light,” by Andy Blythe [PRS] & Marten Joustra [PRS]; Flexitracks; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Vernal Equinox](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/42s_xw-KMD4/mqdefault.jpg)
![NOAA Satellites Monitor Canadian Wildfires and Smoke
Since mid-May, NOAA satellites have been closely monitoring heat signatures and thick plumes of smoke (some stretching thousands of miles) from wildfires burning across Canada.
Driven by heat, drought, and dry conditions, more than 160 fires kicked off the country’s wildfire season, primarily in Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. More blazes soon erupted in other provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The escalating situation forced thousands to evacuate, prompted states of emergency in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and has been impacting air quality in the United States as the smoke drifts southward.
Learn more about this event and how NOAA satellites have been monitoring the blazes:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-satellites-monitor-canadian-wildfires-and-smoke
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
Music:
“Flow and Grow” by Joe Hearson [PRS]; Flexitracks; Universal Production Music NOAA Satellites Monitor Canadian Wildfires and Smoke](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5Utibam8Ng4/mqdefault.jpg)


![Hurricane Kay Brings Rain to the Southwest While Wildfires Rage to the North
NOAA satellites have tracked a lot of activity across western North America this month. From wildfires, to a hurricane, to heavy rains in the drought-stricken region, this imagery has been vital in monitoring these events.
While wildfires have become more and more common, recent fires have been particularly devastating. This year’s fire danger was also increased by trade winds from the east, similar to those that tore through in 2020, leading to record-breaking megafires. Unlike the moisture-laden winds from the Pacific, east winds have a tendency to dry out over the Cascade Range and sweep down into western Oregon. The combination of drought, wind, and heat, left the region primed like a tinderbox.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music: “No Vacancy” by David Gerard Lawrence [PRS]; Chappell Noir; Universal Production Music Hurricane Kay Brings Rain to the Southwest While Wildfires Rage to the North](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6nBV_jlLd6A/mqdefault.jpg)