A research aircraft of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aviation Operations Center (NOAA, in English) was shaken by a strong turbulence when monitoring the Hurricane Milton in transit in the Gulf of Mexico, according to images published this Tuesday by the agency.
In the more than two-minute video, the crew on board the plane NOAA WP-3d Orion NO43better known as the hurricane chaser, succeeded capture strong turbulence which knocked equipment to the ground and forced the crew to secure themselves while flying over Hurricane Milton.
NOAA said the purpose of the flight was to collect data for hurricane research and assistance. improve storm forecastswhich is expected to make landfall on the east coast of Florida Wednesday evening.
Milton intensified again this Tuesday afternoon waters of the Gulf of Mexico and became a category 5 hurricane again, according to the latest bulletin from the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The hurricane classified as “extremely dangerous” increased in size as it approached the west coast of Florida with maximum sustained winds of 270 kilometers per hour (165 miles).
According to the NHC’s forecast track, the center of Milton will move today and tomorrow across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and “will make landfall along the west-central coast from Florida Wednesday evening”, then cross the peninsula and exit into the Atlantic.
Even if they are expected intensity fluctuationsit is predicted that Milton “will continue to be a danger “A major hurricane when it makes landfall on the central-west coast” and exits into Atlantic waters on Thursday, they warned.
There are serious concerns about the storm surge that Milton could cause in Tampa Bay, including 10 and 15 feet high (3 to 4.5 meters). Tropical storm force winds could reach the Tampa Bay area as early as Wednesday morning.
