Hurricane Mitch just prior to landfall

Hurricane Mitch just prior to landfall. This image was taken by GOES-10 when Mitch was near its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kmh). A few days later after making landfall in Central America nearly 11,000 people were confirmed dead and almost as many reported missing making Mithc the second deadliest hurricane on record (1780 Great Hurricane deadliest).

Photo Date: 1998, October 26