The impressive images that show a hurricane for the first time from the inside | A drone confronted waves of more than 15 meters and winds of more than 180 kilometers

For the first time, video footage collected by an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from inside a big hurricane that crosses the Atlantic Ocean. It’s about the hurricane sat, Category 4, which reached the east coast of the United States in late September.

The National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of this country managed to capture the impressive images thanks to the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 drone, which faced waves of more than 15 meters and winds of more than 180 kilometers per hour to collect critical scientific data, and in the process, he gained a whole new visual perspective on one of Earth’s most destructive forces.

Equipped with a specially designed “hurricane wing”, allowing it to operate in extreme wind conditions, the SD 1045 challenges Hurricane Sam on the high seas, collecting real-time observations for digital hurricane forecasting models, which should provide new information on how large destructive tropical cyclones develop and intensify.

SD 1045 is one of a fleet of five “hurricane” Saildrones that operated in the Atlantic Ocean during hurricane season, collecting data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. This knowledge is essential for improving storm forecasting and should reduce loss of life by allowing better preparedness of coastal communities.

“Saildrone goes where no research vessel has ever been, navigating directly into the eye of the hurricane, collecting data that will transform our understanding of these powerful storms, ”said Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone, in a statement. border for the survival of Saildrone. We are proud to have designed a vehicle capable of operating in the most extreme weather conditions in the world. “

The Saildrone provides data directly to NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Saildrone’s partners in this mission.

“With the data collected by the saildrones, we hope to improve the forecast models that predict rapidly intensifying hurricanes,” said Greg Foltz, NOAA scientist. “The rapid intensification, when hurricane-force winds pick up within hours, poses a serious threat to coastal communities. New data from gliding drones and other unmanned systems used by NOAA will already help us better predict the forces that drive hurricanes. communities earlier. “