Friday Photo: As if the Middle East needs this

After several years of being buffeted by the Terrorism Tsunami and Hurricane Bush, the Middle East this week was struck by a non-metaphorical weather event: Cyclone Gonu. This latest storm, however, left only a slight imprint upon the region—evacuations and a small number of deaths and temporary port closings in Oman, and a brief uptick in the price of crude oil. Here's what Gonu looked like from above:

NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center

(Hat tip: National Geographic)