The map above shows sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico on Sept. 5, 2017. The mid-point of the color scale is 27.8°C, a threshold that scientists generally believe to be warm enough to fuel a hurricane. The yellow-to-red line on the map represents <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma" class="extiw" title="w:Hurricane Irma">Irma</a>’s track from Sept. 3–6.
NASA
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