Passengers are literally flying out of their seats.
Hold on to Your Butts
A brave hurricane hunter from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) filmed himself as the plane he was on hit extreme turbulence — while flying right through the center of Hurricane Milton on Tuesday.
The agency's Aircraft Operations Center described it in a tweet as a "bumpy ride."
That's putting it lightly. The footage recorded by the NOAA's Nick Underwood shows equipment flying all over the place while passengers hold on to their seats for dear life, as they experience moments of weightlessness.
The plane, a Lockheed WP-3D Orion dubbed "Miss Piggy," wasn't just hurtling through the "monster" storm just for fun.
"These flights collect critical data that helps improve forecasts and support hurricane research," the NOAA wrote in a Facebook post.
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.
Visit https://t.co/3phpgKNx0q for the latest forecasts and advisories
Visit https://t.co/UoRa967zK0 for information that you… pic.twitter.com/ezmXu2Zqta— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) October 8, 2024
Hunting Hurricanes
Hurricane Milton is shaping up to be what could be the "strongest storm in a century," as the New York Times reports.
The storm is expected to make landfall later today, ripping into a highly populated area of Florida's coast.
The last storm, Hurricane Helene, tore through the area less than two weeks ago, marking an incredibly dangerous hurricane season.
The NOAA's National Hurricane Center has since issued advisories and "marine warnings," forecasting extremely tall waves, maximum sustained winds of almost 150 mph, and gusts reaching 180 mph.
The agency's plane was built in the 1970s and has been used to get a better sense of growing storms ever since.
"The purpose of these missions is primarily to locate the center of the storm and measure central pressure and surface winds around the eye," the National Weather Service's director of public affairs Susan Buchanan told USA Today.
The plane, "Miss Piggy," is one of two WP-3D Orions being used by the NOAA. The other plane is called Kermit, since the two Muppets "are such good friends and the two aircraft are very close," according to the agency.
More on the hurricane: Make No Mistake: Climate Change Helped Turn Hurricane Milton Into a “Monster”
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