Hurricane Ian left scars visible from space along its path of destruction
FORT MYERS, Fla. – As Hurricane Ian made its trek across the Gulf of Mexico through Florida and eventually into South Carolina, it left many visible scars in its path.
Even before Ian arrived in Florida, it was shaping the regional landscape and leaving a clear mark on the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Satellite images from GOES-16 on Friday afternoon show the waters just off the southwest Florida coast as a mix of bright teal and muddy brown.
Compare to how the waters looked 10 days earlier, when conditions were significantly calmer:
Hurricane Ian’s 95-mile-per-hour winds churned up waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico as it churned between Cuba on Tuesday and a possible landfall near Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday.
The waters are relatively shallow in these areas, and dirt and sediment from the raging waves above washed to the surface, coloring the water to the extent that it was visible from 22,000 miles into space.
Roads were washed away and landmarks were destroyed
NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey is collecting aerial damage assessment images of Ian’s aftermath using NOAA aircraft and NOAA satellites.
Several well-known landmarks, including the Fort Myers Pier, Captiva Island and the Sanibel Island Causeway, fell victim to Ian’s deadly storm.
A closer look with aerial damage assessments found that only remnants of the historic Fort Myers Beach Pier remained after Ian’s storm surge and wind power.
The hurricane wiped out parts of the Sanibel Island Causeway, and the Pine Island Bridge is also impassable.
Lights off
At its peak, Hurricane Ian caused power outages for more than 2 million Florida customers. Power companies have now been able to restore many people. However, full restoration may take weeks in areas with major infrastructure damage.
The NOAA/NASA Finland National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite shows power outages near Fort Myers, Florida, in Central Florida after Hurricane Ian made landfall.
Below is a look at Hurricane Ian from NOAA’s GOES East satellite as the storm approached South Carolina to make landfall. Florida’s lack of lights at night is a good indication of the power outages that left Southwest Florida on Friday.