2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Liam Buckler)
This is the terrifying moment major turbulence hits a plane full of storm hunters flying through Hurricane Milton - as items were violently thrown around the aircraft. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) were collecting data from the storm, which is set to be the largest in the US for 100 years when they hit extreme turbulence over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. The aircraft, which is called "Miss Piggy" is seen violently bouncing in the air with the scientists trying to hold onto items as they were thrown around the plane.
One of the scientists quickly asks for his phone during the terrifying ordeal as they look to capture the storm. Joe Biden , who postponed an overseas trip so he could remain at the White House to monitor Milton, warned that it “could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida”. Fortunately, the hunters made it through the turbulence and were able to collect essential data on Hurricane Milton.
The shocking footage comes as Hurricane Milton is set for a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving. The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the centre warned. Milton was centered about 300 miles southwest of Tampa early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), the hurricane center reported.
It was moving northeast at 14 mph early Wednesday and was expected to continue moving in that direction with an increase in its forward speed through Wednesday night, with landfall expected late Wednesday or early Thursday morning. It was expected to turn toward the east-northeast and east on Thursday and Friday. Heavy rain was beginning to spread across parts of southwestern and west-central Florida ahead of Milton early Wednesday, and weather conditions were expected to deteriorate across parts of the Florida Gulf Coast throughout the day, the center said.
Six to 12 inches of rain, with localised totals up to 18 inches were expected across central to northern portions of Florida through Thursday, bringing the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, and moderate to major river flooding. Several tornadoes were likely Wednesday across parts of central and southern Florida..
