Gustav may have spared the United States from the destruction that many feared, but it hit Cuba hard. The storm was a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds near 150 miles per hour when it came ashore over southwestern Cuba on August 30, 2008.
This image, captured by the MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite on September 1, 2008, points to the passage of a powerful storm system. Normally a tranquil turquoise, the shallow waters of the Golfo de Batabanó are white. Gustav churned the water, bringing sand to the surface. Clouds of tan color the water near the shore where sediment has washed into the gulf likely from both rain- and surge-induced coastal flooding and coastal erosion from the storm’s battering waves.
Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC Click to enlarge. (1 mb)
Welcome to JetStream, the National Weather Service Online Weather School. This site is designed to help educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather and weather safety.
The information contained in JetStream is arranged by subject; beginning with global and large scale weather patterns followed by lessons on air masses, wind patterns, cloud formations, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, damaging winds, tornados, tropical storms, cyclones and flooding. Interspersed in JetStream are "Learning Lessons" which can be used to enhance the educational experience.
You are free to use the materials in any manner you wish. We welcome your feedback on this project. Your input will greatly assist others in teaching the "hows" and "whys" of weather. Not sure where to begin? Click to see all topics in JetStream in the Topic Matrix. Contact Us:
Steven Cooper Steven.Cooper@noaa.gov
Deputy Regional Director, NWS Southern Region Headquarters, Fort Worth, Texas
Michael Vescio Michael.Vescio@noaa.gov
Meteorologist-in-Charge, NWS Pendelton, Oregon
Dennis Cain Dennis.Cain@noaa.gov
a.k.a. "Professor Weather", NWS Fort Worth, Texas
