Researchers have shared the horrifying realities of the approaching Hurricane Milton after flying a plane directly into the storm.
After being listed as a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Milton is set to make land and pass through the Tampa Bay area.
Less than two weeks after 200 people across several South East states lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Helene, and now three million residents along Florida’s west coast have been urged to evacuate and take precaution.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told residents this week: "The number one message, as it has been for several days now, is that you need to prepare, do whatever you need to do and then get out of the evacuation zones."
Stressing the severity of the situation, Castor then emphasized, per The Hill: "This is literally catastrophic, and I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die."
And with winds reaching a ferocious 230 km/h and surges that could reach over 10ft high, getting as far away from the storm as possible is definitely the smart thing to do.
However, some researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center have done the complete opposite - and flown directly into the hurricane. Check out the video below:
Sharing footage from the moment their aircraft was totally engulfed by the storm to X, social media users have been left both horrified and thankful by the efforts of the crew.
Per the NOAA's official website, the aircraft used to perform such as task is the Lockheed WP-3D Orion - also known as "Hurricane Hunters". This particular aircraft (N43RF) also has the nickname "Miss Piggy" (with the second being called "Kermit").
These flights "play a key role in collecting data vital to tropical cyclone research and forecasting", the NOAA states. Essentially, the plane acts as a mobile weather station and takes a multitude of readings to help better understand the strength, path, and knowledge of certain storms.
"Impressive work by the pilots and crews on board," one X user wrote in response to the footage.
Another aghast X user wrote: "I am no longer nervous about commercial turbulence."
One thankful social media user added: "I'm turning a kryptonite shade of Kermit just thinking about your ride in Miss Piggy right now. Thank you for what you do, and be safe!"
"True heroes flying into hurricane Milton to provide data. Amazing what they can do in such difficult conditions," another added.
Speaking to the New York Post, NOAA Aircraft Operations Center public affairs specialist Jonathan Shannon shared more about their missions.
"Our NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft have been flying into storms for almost 50 years," Shannon said. "We basically take a weather station to the weather."
Opening up about how it feels to be in the eye of a storm, Shannon said: "The best analogy I’ve heard is it is like riding an old wooden roller coaster through a car wash."
Once again, to anybody impacted by this storm, please do whatever you can to stay safe.
