NOAA used an uncrewed ocean surface drone to capture video from inside the eye of Hurricane Sam, a major hurricane. The storm reached category 4 status last week before weakening over the open Atlantic as it headed toward Iceland. It will miss the U.S. east coast.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Saildrone Inc. have deployed the SD 1045 drone, one in a fleet of five hurricane Saildrones deployed in the Atlantic to help understand physical processes in hurricanes. Improving forecasts will help improve preparedness in coastal communities and could save human life.
Data gathered from the saildrones is directly sent to NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab. Hurricane winds can gather strength in just hours, putting a premium on more accurate, early predictions.
SD 1045 battled 50 foot waves and winds over 120 mph. A short video captured from the vessel on Sept. 30 showed waves from inside the eye of the hurricane. The craft has a specially designed hurricane wing to allow it to operate in extreme winds.