Tornadoes 2011: Watch NASA's Incredible Footage From Space (VIDEO)

Americans following the recent tornadoes ravaging through the midwest have been captivated by the shocking amateur and professional footage constantly emerging from the region over the past several weeks.

And while shots from the ground strive to capture the intensity of these natural disasters, the following clip taken by the GOES-13 satellite offers a sense of just how massive these storms can get.

The footage, depicting aerial views from space between May 20 and May 25, shows the tornado as it travels from Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri into Mississippi, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. This includes the storms that prompted the horrific Joplin, Mo. tornado on May 22 and the Oklahoma event two days later.

The GOES-13 is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association operated Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series, which NASA utilizes to create images and animations.