The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft captured this birds-eye view of Tropical Storm Erika as the storm struck northern Mexico with gusty winds and heavy rains.
Erika was moving towards the west at 18 mph with sustained winds of 70 mph. At the time this image was taken, rainfall amounts of up to six inches were being reported across northern Mexico and southern Texas.
Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
After plowing across southern Florida on Thursday, August 14, a tropical depression became Tropical Storm Erika in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm was approaching Texas on August 15, 2003.