Today's Image

A tornado cut this swath of destruction in Arkansas

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May 8, 2014

NASA’s Aqua satellite saw a brown swath cut across an otherwise green landscape in Mayflower, Arkansas. The satellite captured this image on May 2, 2014.. — Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image of a brown swath cut across an otherwise green landscape in Mayflower, Arkansason May 2, 2014. An April 27 tornado, which caused 16 deaths in the area, caused the damage.

In late April, 2014, a severe weather system descended on the U.S. Central Plains, fueling intense thunderstorms and tornados. Among the hardest hit areas were the small towns of Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas. Sixteen people were killed and 400 to 500 homes were destroyed.

A few days later, NASA’s Aqua satellite saw clear evidence of the damage in the form of a brown trail – what scientists call a tornado track – across the otherwise green landscape in Mayflower. NASA’s Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this iamage on May 2.

Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.