Earth from Space - Image Description

STS040-74-71 Thunderstorms, Upper Gulf Coast, Texas June, 1991
A number of large thunderstorms are visible crossing over the upper Texas Gulf Coast near Galveston Bay. Lake Anahuac (light brown, round feature) and the upper portion of Trinity Bay are discernible between the clouds near the center of the image. During the late spring and summer months, thunderstorms will build in the early morning hours out over the Gulf of Mexico and along the Texas coast. As the sun rises and warms the land and air to higher temperatures thunderstorms form and move inland during the mid to late morning hours. These scattered thunderstorms will progress inland 100 to 125 miles (160 to 210 km). In the evening the land will cool and thunderstorms will loose energy and dissipate.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.