The tornado scar is seen just east of Springfield, Massachusetts, on Feb. 16, 2015. (NASA Photo)

When a large tornado does major damage, it often leaves a scar in the Earth that can be visible from space even when there's snow on the ground.

The image at the top of this page was taken this week by a NASA satellite that was flying over New England. It shows a scar left by a tornado that hit Springfield, Massachusetts, the summer of 2011.

The tornado hit downtown Springfield on June 1, 2011, before moving east. Three people were killed by the EF3 tornado.

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Tornado scars can linger for many years. In southern Wisconsin, an EF3 tornado hit wooded areas eight years ago and. The scar, like the one still visible near Springfield, is most pronounced after a heavy snowfall.

The EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, in May 2013 , due to the amount of damage it caused.

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