One of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s two “hurricane hunter” Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft flew into the eye of Hurricane Milton as it approached the Florida coast.
Video from on board the four-engine turboprop has been trending on the internet.
Bumpy ride into Hurricane #Milton on @NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 "Miss Piggy" to collect data to help improve the forecast and support hurricane research.
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) October 8, 2024
Visit https://t.co/3phpgKNx0q for the latest forecasts and advisories
Visit https://t.co/UoRa967zK0 for information that you… pic.twitter.com/ezmXu2Zqta
Members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps struggled with severe turbulence aboard the Orion as scientists gathered data on wind speed, temperature, record-low pressure, and humidity.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the hurricane was downgraded to Category 4 status from Category 5.
Still, the 155 mph winds represent a significant threat to the west-central coastal area of Florida with storm surges of 10 feet or more expected upon landfall, which is expected Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.
