This image taken by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission on October 26, 2025 shows ‘radiant temperatures’ at the top of Hurricane Melissa as it moves through the Caribbean Sea towards Jamaica, where it is expected to make landfall.
Classified as a Category 5 hurricane by the US-based National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa is the world’s most powerful storm so far this year.
At the top of the storm, cloud surface temperatures over the ocean range from about -75°C near the eye of the storm to about -25°C at the edges. The temperature of the surrounding ocean is very warm, reaching 25°C. This image is overlaid with the terrain below.
Hurricanes are a force of nature that can only be tracked by satellites, which provide the latest images so officials know when to take precautionary measures. Satellites provide information about the storm’s extent, wind speed and path, and key characteristics such as cloud thickness, temperature, and water and ice content. Sentinel-3’s Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer measures energy radiated by the Earth’s surface in nine spectral bands.
