Flight into Ian was ‘the worst I’ve ever been on,’ Hurricane Hunter says
Hurricane Ian has startled one of the people most used to dealing with catastrophic storms.
On Wednesday, Hurricane Hunter Nick Underwood flew into the storm and said it was the “worst” flight he’d ever had.
“I have flown storms for the last six years,” Underwood tweeted. This flight to Hurricane #Ian on Kermit (#NOAA42) was the worst I’ve ever been on. I’ve never seen so much lightning in an eye.”
The lightning he reported can be easily seen in satellite imagery, where dozens of flashes of light escape the clouds every second.
The Hurricane Hunters are based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
“It is the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance on a routine basis,” according to the Hurricane Hunters’ website. The mission of the air reserve technicians and Air Force Reservists is to collect information that will help forecasters track the storm and residents decide whether to stay home or evacuate.
The Hurricane Hunters have flown into Ian several times over the past several days.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall just after 2 p.m. Wednesday in Cayo Costa, a city in southwest Florida.
The massive storm is twice as wide as the Florida peninsula and 2004’s Hurricane Charley could fit inside of its eye. Power outages, flooding, storm surge and downed trees and power lines have already been reported.
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 3:48 PM.
