The most striking images of Hurricane Irma

At over 420 miles wide, Hurricane Irma was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. As it churned its way from the Antilles to the continental United States—while maintaining imposing force throughout—Irma left behind a trail of destruction. It grew to a scale-topping Category 5 storm on Tuesday, September 5th—making it the second major hurricane to threaten land in the past two weeks—and brought catastrophic damage to Barbuda, the Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Cuba before pummeling the continental United States.

It will be days before we can take account of the full scope of Irma's wrath, but glimpses from social media give us some idea. Here are a few of the most striking images of Hurricane Irma being shared across the web.