The 2021 Hurricane Season is bringing firsts in scientific discovery. A “Saildrone” got an inside look at a Category 4 Hurricane when it was directed into Hurricane Sam in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, September 30th.
In a world first, a @saildrone has captured video from inside a hurricane.
The Saildrone battled Hurricane #Sam's 50-ft waves and 120+ mph winds to collect critical scientific data and give us a brand new view of one of earth’s most destructive forces. https://t.co/vWHJUo1y2r pic.twitter.com/gO22wBhua2
— NOAA Research (@NOAAResearch) September 30, 2021
According to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), the Sail Drone sustained 50 foot waves and measured 120 mph sustained winds. The drone is sent into the storm to “collect real-time observations for numerical hurricane prediction models, which are expected to yield new insights into how large and destructive tropical cyclones grow and intensify.”
JUST IN: A world first — Ocean drone captures video from inside a hurricane.@NOAA and @Saildrone are collecting scientific data from inside Hurricane #Sam.
Footage at: https://t.co/xberXq9HX6@NOAAResearch pic.twitter.com/Mc2p8Nj0hd
— NOAA Communications (@NOAAComms) September 30, 2021
The Saildrone is an unscrewed surface vehicle, or USV, developed privately, and partnering with NOAA to improve hurricane forecasting technology. The Saildrones have been used across other parts of the world’s oceans to collect various data.
Sturdy 23-foot long Saildrone Explorers are powered by wind and solar energy, and controlled by computers hundreds of miles away. The autonomous sailboats are designed to weather treacherous polar expeditions. ⛵
— NASA Expeditions (@NASAExpeditions) September 27, 2021
For more on Hurricane Sam’s official forecast, click here. We’ll have more on the Saildrone’s findings on WeatherNation throughout the week.