10 of the Most Dramatic Images From the National Weather Service Final Report on Hurricane Maria

Dramatic images in a National Weather Service (NWS) final report on Hurricane Maria are giving us another look at the scope of the devastating impacts the U.S. territory has suffered.

The detailed write-up from the NWS in San Juan includes information from both meteorological observations gathered during the hurricane and field surveys after it struck.

1.) Landslide Concentration

Shaded red in this first image is the landslide activity caused by Maria's torrential rainfall. The majority of the landslides straddle the midsection of the island which matches up with what you might expect since the interior of Puerto Rico features steep mountainous terrain, making it prone to sliding away.

The darkest shaded red squares had more than 25 landslides per square kilometer, according to the USGS graphic.

2.) Landslide Destruction

This photo shows an example of the destruction a structure suffered from a landslide near Utuado. The town is located in one of the areas where there is the highest concentration of landslides on the USGS map above.

3.) Landslide Buries Vehicle

Also near Utuado the NWS photographed this vehicle that was buried by a landslide.

4.) Maria's Rainfall Analyzed

Several locations in central and southeast Puerto Rico received more than 20 inches of rain as illustrated by this next image in the NWS report. Leading the way is one station that saw 37.9 inches of rain.

That NWS notes that many rainfall observing stations failed due to damage caused by Maria.

5.) Maria's Landfall

Perhaps no other image has been shared more than this one in the NWS final report. Hurricane Maria makes landfall as a strong Category 4 on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico.

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6.) Barren Hillsides Near Landfall Location

Maria's fierce winds left trees completely stripped of their leaves in this photo taken near the point of landfall shown in the satellite image above.

7.) Flash Flood Emergencies

As depicted in red below, the NWS issued numerous flash flood emergency warnings during Maria even as the Doppler Radar system used to detect rainfall intensity was destroyed. This type of flash flood warning is only issued in rare circumstances where there is an extreme threat to life and/or property.

8.) Flood Debris Pile

The rushing floodwaters led to washed out bridges, roads and large piles of debris. Power lines became entangled with this particular debris pile in northeast Puerto Rico.

9.) Aerial View of Destroyed Dopper Radar Site

As mentioned above, the NWS Doppler Radar was destroyed by Maria's ferocious winds. This image shows an aerial view of the obliterated radar system with only the metal tower remaining.

10.) Western Coast Destruction

The western end of Puerto Rico did not escape coastal damage even though the circulation center made landfall in the southeast portion of the island.

Pounding surf, coastal flooding and erosion led to the destruction of dozens of homes and apartment complex buildings, the NWS report noted.