Hurricane hunters have shown a terrifying view from Hurricane Milton as they flew into the eye of the storm.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) team was measuring critical aspects of the storm when the plane encountered 160 mph winds over the Gulf of Mexico.
In a dramatic video shared by NOAA, rain pounded the plane’s windows as it flew through endless clouds that shook the cabin and knocked the crew to the ground.
The plane, known as ‘Miss Piggy’, could be seen shaking as it tried to escape Milton’s Eye, which is set to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening.
Hurricane Milton is headed toward the west coast of Florida and is expected to make landfall shortly before midnight
Electrical engineer Tom Brannigan (pictured) was aboard the Orion aircraft when turbulence sent him plummeting to the ground as they reached Hurricane Milton
Milton was classified as a Category 5 hurricane earlier this week as it moved toward the west coast of Florida.
Residents in the Tampa area were told to evacuate before the approaching storm wreaks havoc and brings 15 feet of water to the area.
The four NOAA researchers, flying in a Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft, went headfirst into the hurricane.
Although dangerous, it is one of the best ways for meteorologists to obtain data to prepare residents on the ground.
The video, posted Tuesday on
The crew navigated the violent storm as the cabin shook and a plastic bag fell from above, spilling its contents everywhere.
Program integration engineer Nick Underwood, who was filming the experience, can be heard asking in the background, “Can you just grab my phone real quick?”
Despite the intense turbulence, Underwood said, “we’re still taking out the dropsonde to collect data.”
A dropsonde is a weather device that is released from an aircraft using a parachute so that it can measure and transmit data about temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and wind direction every 0.25 to 0.5 seconds.
‘This is the job. It’s important work,” Underwood said.
Susan Buchanan, public affairs director for the National Weather Service, said USA today“The goal of these missions is primarily to locate the center of the storm and measure the central pressure and surface winds around the eye.”
The plane was surrounded by gray clouds and heavy rain when it dropped a device that measures weather patterns
Hurricane hunters are tracking the storm, which is likely to reach speeds of 170 miles per hour
NOAA said the period in which Floridians can evacuate the area is “rapidly coming to an end” as the storm is expected to reach the West Coast on Wednesday evening.
“Now is the time to hurry to complete all preparations to protect life and property in accordance with your emergency plan,” the National Hurricane Center wrote.
‘Make sure you are in a safe location before high winds or possible flooding occur. Make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to reach winds of up to 175 miles per hour, bringing heavy rainfall and “life-threatening flooding and urban flooding” to the area.
At 10 a.m. ET, Milton was about 210 miles southwest of Tampa and moving toward the city at about 16 miles per hour. The landing site is expected to be reached shortly before midnight.
The hurricane is likely to strike between Tampa Bay and Sarasota shortly before midnight, and the National Hurricane Center warned that Milton “has the potential to become one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
Meteorologists have also warned that the dangerous storm could spawn tornadoes and the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado warning in effect until 9:00 PM ET.