Watch: Drones Capture Never-Before-Seen Footage Of 28-Foot Waves Inside Hurricane Milton

Drones operated by Saildrone, a San Francisco Bay Area-based company, captured dramatic footage of Hurricane Milton from inside the storm.

The footage captured by SD-1083 in the Gulf of Mexico on October 9, 2024, revealed 28-foot waves and wind gusts exceeding 75 miles per hour.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has shared the footage as part of its hurricane tracking project, which has been in partnership with Saildrone since 2021.

Saildrone’s fleet of 12 drones was deployed from St. Thomas and St. Petersburg, Florida, to monitor the hurricane season, per a company representative.

Each drone is powered by solar panels and batteries, with operations managed remotely from Saildrone’s mission headquarters in Alameda, California.

The drones are equipped with cameras that allow the public to witness hurricanes from the inside for the first time.

Inside Hurricane Milton, @saildrone reported wave height of 28.12 feet & wind gusts as strong as 75.95 mph while 40 nautical miles from the center of the storm. This research represents a collaborative endeavor to better understand the role of the ocean in hurricanes. @NOAA_AOML pic.twitter.com/CTd6R3XtnF

— NOAA Research (@NOAAResearch) October 9, 2024

Video Credits: NOAA Research/X

These drones gather data beyond just recording video footage.

NOAA Oceanographers said the drones also measure ocean temperatures, currents, salinity, and atmospheric data, such as air temperature, humidity, and surface pressure.

The information is crucial for real-time forecasting and is sent directly to the National Hurricane Center to help assess hurricane strength and potential impact.

During Hurricane Milton, the drones reported wind gusts of up to 75.95 miles per hour and waves as high as 28.12 feet, about 40 nautical miles from the storm’s center.

NOAA also claimed that Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 Hurricane, causing widespread power outages to over 3 million residents, triggering at least 150 tornadoes, and killing four people.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis assured residents that efforts to assess the full extent of the hurricane’s damage were underway and that the state would continue with recovery efforts.

The Saildrone vessels, which cost around $2.5 million to operate during hurricane season, are expected to play a crucial role in future hurricane prediction models.

NOAA researchers are already conducting experiments by implementing Saildrone data into forecasting systems to enhance accuracy, providing insights that traditional methods cannot gather.

References: FOX KTVU, AL.com