Texas Wildfires, as Seen from Space

Photo By: NASA

The record-breaking heat and drought centered on Texas, which is more extreme than the Dust Bowl (if not yet as long-lived), already ranks as one of the record-breaking 10 billion-dollar weather disasters of 2011. The wildfires that are fueled by that drought have cost 100s of millions, as more than 1,500 homes have burned and 17 people are unaccounted for, according to a report today by the San Francisco Chronicle.

This image from Sept. 6 was taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. See a larger image.

Related: 5 Signs of Climate Change from Record-Hot 2010

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