See Hurricane Michael storm hunters fly straight into its eye
Air Force pilots share a grim inside look at the monster storm threatening Florida's Gulf Coast.
Hamilton fans know the lyric: "In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet/for just a moment."
US Air Force Reserve Pilot Will Simmons experienced that quiet Wednesday morning, and it's just as eerie as in Alexander Hamilton's day. Simmons was flying a USAF Hurricane Hunter mission out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and after multiple passes through the eye, finally had enough daylight to see the massive storm.
"Life-threatening effects are imminent along parts of the Florida panhandle," he wrote in a tweet sharing a video of that brief moment in the eye.
On our 6th pass through the eye of Category 4 Hurricane Michael, we @53rdWRS had daylight to witness what has been greatly intensifying over the past few days. Life-threatening effects are imminent along parts of the Florida panhandle. @NHC_Atlantic will have the latest. pic.twitter.com/QqdlYzhenj
— Will Simmons (@wrsimmons) October 10, 2018
Monstrous clouds surround the plane like walls as the crew flies through and records the video.
"I love the job, but at the same time, hate that I had to go out to fly this today," Simmons wrote. "Extremely powerful hurricane."
I love the job, but at the same time, hate that I had to go out to fly this today. Extremely powerful hurricane.
— Will Simmons (@wrsimmons) October 10, 2018
Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida Wednesday morning as a category 4 storm that the New York Times called "frighteningly powerful."
"This is the worst storm that our Florida Panhandle has seen in a century," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said. "Hurricane Michael is upon us, and now is the time to seek refuge."
The National Weather Service issued a chilling message Wednesday morning. "Landfall of #HurricaneMichael is imminent," the organization tweeted. "THIS IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO for the Florida Panhandle!!"
Landfall of #HurricaneMichael is imminent. THIS IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO for the Florida Panhandle!! Listen to your local emergency officials. Stay Inside & Survive!" --NWS Director Dr. Louis Uccellini @NWSDirector pic.twitter.com/EMSZbMaHwW
— NWS (@NWS) October 10, 2018
Webcams in Florida are also recording the storm activity, though intensifying conditions could force them offline.
