Hurricane Rita, which struck in September 2005, was one of the most powerful hurricanes on record in the Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive damage and prompting one of the largest evacuations in US history. The images show how the hurricane moved from along the coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and Texas. Coastlines are highlighted in red for clarity.

• Image 1: Product: MERIS_RR_1P (1200 metre resolution), Satellite: Envisat, Instrument: Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometre (MERIS), Acqusition Date: 20 Sep 2005, Orbit: 18602, Orbit direction: Descending, Band combination: 7, 5, 2 (RGB)
• Image 2: Product: ASA_WSM_1P (150 metre resolution), Satellite: Envisat, Instrument: Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR), Acqusition Date: 22 Sep 2005, Orbit: 18624
• Image 3: Product: MERIS_RR_1P (1200 metre resolution), Satellite: Envisat, Instrument: Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometre (MERIS), Acqusition Date: 22 Sep 2005, Orbit: 18631, Orbit direction: Descending, Band combination: 7, 5, 2 (RGB)
• Image 4: Product: MERIS_RR_1P (1200 metre resolution), Satellite: Envisat, Instrument: Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometre (MERIS), Acqusition Date: 24 Sep 2005, Orbit: 18660, Orbit direction: Descending, Band combination: 7, 5, 2 (RGB)