The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters gave the world the opportunity to see the eye of Hurricane Irma.
Videos by Rare
NOAA used two of its nine aircraft to fly into Irma. Employees departed from NOAA’s new base at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport on Saturday and flew to the storm in Barbados. One aircraft, a Lockheed WP-3D Orion nicknamed Kermit, flew into the storm five times. Another aircraft, a Gulfstream IV jet nicknamed Gonzo, made a similar trip on Tuesday.
Video of a flight through the eye of #Irma on #NOAA42. Flights on both the WP-3D Orion and G-IV #NOAA49 continue. Credit Nick Underwood/NOAA pic.twitter.com/9ini4bOnYF
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) September 5, 2017
Video from yesterday's flight in CAT 5 #Irma on #NOAA42. https://t.co/iofV4p56DE has the latest advisories. Credit Rob Mitchell/NOAA pic.twitter.com/IygcNgIbJN
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) September 6, 2017
The missions are used to collect storm data, which in turns allows weather forecasters make more accurate predictions.
Irma, which is currently a Category 5, wreaked havoc in the Caribbean that accounted for at least 10 deaths. The hurricane is expected to hit Florida on Sunday and continue north through parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.
RELATED: Terrifying videos show the full impact of Hurricane Irma