【?? ??? ??】Drone sailed straight into Hurricane Helene, captured intense footage

Hurricane Helene spawned tempestuous seas.

A collaboration between the U.S. National Oceanic and ?? ??? ??Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Saildrone, the company that builds innovative sailing drones, sent a robust robot into Hurricane Helene, the major hurricane that made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Thursday night. Before hitting land with catastrophic storm surge and extreme 140 winds, a drone captured footage in the storm's eyewall, home to some of its strongest winds.

The 30-second video below, beamed out from the drone, was captured on Sept. 26 at around 7:45 p.m ET (a short ad plays first). The average height of the tallest waves is around 30 feet, or 9 meters. Winds gusts knock around the drone, which is 23 feet long and 16 feet tall.

SEE ALSO: Why it's impossible to forecast the weather too far into the future

These robots are specifically designed for hurricanes, and meant to gather novel data about these cyclones, and how they evolve.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The location of the Saildrone above, SD-1083, as it captured footage in Hurricane Helene's eyewall. Credit: Saildrone / NOAA

NOAA employs Saildrones because they've proven excellent at directly gathering observations of ocean and atmospheric conditions on the sea surface. It's there, where the oceans interact with the air, that hurricanes start to strengthen, sometimes rapidly.

Though a number of factors influence the formation of strong hurricanes (a lack of opposing winds that can break apart storms, moist or dry air, etc.), a vital influence is warm sea surface temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). Warm oceans act as jet fuel for hurricanes, storm scientists explain. That's because warmer oceans fuel tropical storms as more water naturally evaporates into the air, giving storms energy and moisture to intensify.

---

Related Stories

---

• The first images of Earth are chilling
• Why the U.S. will get a whole lotta sea level rise
• Scientists discover unknown prehistoric world — on Earth
• NASA ventured into the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, a forbidding land
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

Hurricane Helene, for example, exploited record warm ocean temperaturesto rapidly intensify into a monstrous storm. Today, Atlantic hurricanes are already twice as likely to develop from a milder storm into a major hurricane.

If you're looking for ways to help provide assistance in response to Hurricane Helene, visit the websites for organisations like Operation Airdrop.

• synthesize
• fashion
• hotspot
• knowledge
• focus
• explore
• recreation
• relaxation

• 2024 Nisei Week Queen Candidates Make Their Debut
• Got a Zoom
• Amazon tech workers called out sick to protest working conditions
• Motorola aims to take on Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra with its Edge+
• Ohtani's Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Charged
• HBO Max: Is it free for HBO Go and HBO Now subscribers?
• Elijah Wood trawls Twitter for good 'Animal Crossing' turnip prices just like us
• Bing made the best coronavirus tracker. Seriously.
• South Bay Premiere of ‘J
• Tesla to implement a key security feature 'soon'

• Student loan debt complainers get called out with PPP loan receipts
• White House official Twitter calls out student debt forgiveness objectors over their PPP loans
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 1
• The world reacts to the death of Queen Elizabeth II
• What is rejection sensitive dysphoria? Everything you need to know about RSD.
• A promo for Amazon's 'The Lord of the Rings' TV show is getting a meme makeover
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 19
• 'Don't Worry Darling' drama is taking over the internet
• TikTok's air fryer banana bread recipe is super easy and pretty tasty
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year top photos show nature at its most beautiful and harrowing

• Reading of Play Based on Yuri Kochiyama’s WWII Experience
• Otter launches live transcription for Zoom meetings
• 6 ways to reduce food waste, even during a pandemic
• Tesla drivers want Elon Musk to add support for Zoom video calls
• Binance Features World of Dypians
• New Apple iOS text bug can crash your iPhone with just a notification
• Amazon tech workers called out sick to protest working conditions
• 6 ways to reduce food waste, even during a pandemic
• JANM Mourns the Passing of Sakaye Aratani
• 'Hunger Games' franchise returns to theaters with prequel adaptation

• Discussion of 'Hold These Truths' at Gardena Valley JCI
• 'Schitt's Creek' inspired game makes you take care of David's 6 Tamagotchis
• Motorola aims to take on Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra with its Edge+
• Need a scanner? There's a free one built into your iPhone.
• Up to the Challenge
• 'Hunger Games' franchise returns to theaters with prequel adaptation
• Twitter is testing a feature that will let you see quote retweets
• 6 ways to reduce food waste, even during a pandemic
• TON Studio Launches, Providing Developers With Cutting
• Google says government