Inside NOAA's daring flights through hurricane eyes

Flight Director Richard Henning describes the intense experience of flying into a storm's eyewall, comparing it to a roller coaster in a car wash where daylight turns to pitch darkness.

Flying a plane into a hurricane eyewall

Scientists launch parachuted dropsondes from aircraft into active storms to measure pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind for accurate landfall forecasts.

How scientists probe inside massive storms

Non-stop flights directly into the storm.

Crews fly 8 to 9-hour missions day and night for nearly a week straight, capturing direct views into the eye of powerful hurricanes to gather life-saving data.

The exhausting missions of hurricane hunters

[00:47] Flying a plane into a hurricane eyewall
[01:28] How scientists probe inside massive storms
[01:54] The exhausting missions of hurricane hunters

Inside NOAA's daring flights through hurricane eyes

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