Hurricane hunters take turbulent trip through Hurricane Milton

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Researchers on a Hurricane Hunter aircraft had a bump ride as they flew into Hurricane Milton on Tuesday.

Footage captured by Nick Underwood, an engineer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center, and shared by Storyful shows the crew experiencing violent turbulence during their flight aboard the aircraft known as Miss Piggy.

The NOAA Aircraft Operations Center said the trip was to collect data to improve forecasts and support hurricane research.

“All that turbulence and we still get the dropsonde out to collect data,” said Underwood in an X post . “This is the job. Important work.”

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• Inland communities plan to ride out Milton, prepare for high winds and flooding

As of this report, Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 Hurricane moving toward Florida.

“Today is the last full day for Florida residents to get their families and homes ready and evacuate if told to do so,” the National Hurricane Center said.

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