Ivan means rain

KILKENNY -- Rain is lashing most of Ireland and some of it comes on the heels of hurricanes off the east coast of North America. Overhead, the International Space Station offers a compelling view of the force of nature known as Hurricane Ivan--responsible for damaging 90% of the houses on Grenada. It is one of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes on record, certainly packing more punch than either of the two hurricanes I evaded while living on the South Carolina coast.

Ivan is the currently the third - and largest - hurricane set to strike the US this hurricane season. The swirling eye of Hurricane Ivan was photographed above from the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) as the storm's sustained 200 kilometer per hour winds wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. The bad news is that hurricane season in the Atlantic typically lasts until November 30, over two months from when this picture was taken. The more immediate bad news is that tropical storm Jeanne is next in line coming across the mid-Atlantic Ocean.

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Click on satellite photo for a larger image from NASA.
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