Before-and-after satellite photos reveal devastation left by Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael — the fourth Category 4 storm to pummel the United States in 14 months — snapped pine trees like toothpicks, washed neighborhoods into the sea, and shredded the hangars off an Air Force base. 

Before the storm’s 155 mph winds struck the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, storm scientists predicted Michael would be an extremely intense storm, in large part because it passed through ocean waters that were 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal — and hurricanes thrive on warm water.

The devastation, seen by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above, is ghastly. 

More about Science, Space Photos, Extreme Weather, Hurricanes, and Science