A plane flying through Hurricane Milton was seen shaking and shaking aggressively while enduring extreme turbulence.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as “hurricane chasers,” tracked the Category 5 hurricane toward the west coast of Florida on Tuesday.
A group of brave researchers were on board conducting vital research, including predicting the hurricane’s path and its future strength.
Outside the WP-3D Orion named ‘Missy Piggy’, the sky was dark gray as rain hit the plane’s window.
Video showed crew members clinging tightly to the plane as the ride became difficult.
‘Hurricane hunters’ flew through raging Hurricane Milton to collect data
Outside the plane, the sky was gray and rain pounded on the window.
A massive shudder caused the team’s supplies to crash to the ground as they fell on one of the hurricane hunters.
‘Holy shit,’ one of the passengers is heard saying as he looks around the plane and sees the damage caused.
After about two choppy minutes, the plane appeared to enter clearer territory. The turbulence subsided and the sky seemed clearer.
The flight was intended to help researchers and forecasters better understand the storm, NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center posted on X along with the video.
In a pre-flight briefing for a similar mission, NOAA Flight Director Sofia de Solo explained the goals of the risky plane ride.
A strong shake tore apart the interior of the plane, leaving supplies scattered on the ground.
The passengers held on tightly to withstand the turbulence.
“This data is used at the National Hurricane Center to improve forecasts and is fed into models,” he said.
De Solo explained that the storm is “evacuating air at a very rapid rate.”
“This is a very strong storm with very intense impacts,” he added.
The importance of understanding this storm is amplified because it is expected to hit the same places devastated by Hurricane Helene, which claimed more than 230 lives.
The plane tilted from side to side for about two minutes.
Hurricane Milton Expected to Hit Florida Communities Hard
In an update from the National Hurricane Center on Tuesday, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night as a dangerous major hurricane.
The hurricane fell to a Category 4 storm before its intensity climbed back to a Category 5 with its sustained winds of 180 mph.
Fearful Floridians are preparing for the worst.
‘This time I’ll get out quickly. But when I go back, I know there will be nothing to go back to,’ Joe Barness, who had to be rescued from his oceanfront home by a sheriff’s department airboat during Hurricane Helene, told DailyMail.com.
‘The winds are going to push that salt water like never before. All the houses in this neighborhood are doomed to failure.
Florida residents were warned about Milton on Sunday, when it was only categorized as a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico.
Milton began as a tropical storm but is now a category 5 hurricane
In preparation for widespread chaos and danger, Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented emergency efforts.
The Florida Department of Health deployed more than 200 emergency response vehicles, according to the governor’s website.
Roads are actively being cleared of debris and the Department of Transportation is replenishing fuel reserves.
