ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Pilot Films What Happened When They Flew Through The Eye Of Hurricane Ida

Pilot Films What Happened When They Flew Through The Eye Of Hurricane Ida

Despite whipping up winds of up to 230km/h, it was eerily still within the eye.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A pilot has filmed the chilling moment they pierced through into the eye of Hurricane Ida.

The Category 4 weather system has swept up to the southern coast of North America and is packing winds of up to 230km/h.

The NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 Miss Piggy research mission flight dangerously flew through the storm over the Gulf of Mexico before it had made landfall.

The footage from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the pilots bouncing around in their seats as they tried to get through the violent turbulence.

However, after nearly a minute, the cockpit becomes visibly more relaxed as they poke into the eye of Ida.

The sky above them is blue and you can make out the eye's circle, which is the centre point of the storm and is where where the lowest surface pressures are found.

The whole hurricane rotates around this moving point and eyes can be between 25 to 50 kilometres in diameter.

Hurricane Ida has since slammed into Louisiana and has knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people in New Orleans.

It has wreaked havoc along the coast, ripping roofs off houses and has actually reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.

It's since been downgraded to a Category 3 as it weakened over land but wind gusts of up to 200km/h are still being detected.

Ida is the fifth strongest hurricane to hit the US since records began and it struck on the exact same day that Hurricane Katrina slammed into America.

PA

PA

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned Ida is something they don't often see.

"This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we're seeing," he said.

According to ABC News, Ida started off as a few thunderstorms off the coast and then managed to become a Cat 4 hurricane in just three days.

Because the storm gathered pace so quickly, city officials in New Orleans weren't able to properly order a mandatory evacuation for residents.

But US President Joe Biden they will be ready to act once the threat is over.

"As soon as the storm passes we're going to put the country's full might behind the rescue and recovery," he said. "We're as ready as we can be."

Featured Image Credit: NOAA

Topics: Weather, News