On Thursday, NOAA released a video showing images from a Saildrone floating inside Hurricane Idalia as it churned through the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 29.
Saildrones are wind- and solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles that collect data when sailing on the open ocean, according to Saildrone, Inc.
New video from Saildrone 1083 floated within Hurricane Idalia, providing an inside look at the storm. Images from the vehicle show the dark, gray-blue waters of the Atlantic rise and fall with the backdrop of thick clouds blocking the horizon.
SAILDRONE DEPLOYING RECORD 12 DRONES TO HUNT HURRICANES IN ATLANTIC, GULF OF MEXICO
The choppy waters tilt the Saildrone back-and-forth, giving viewers a peek at the energy inside Idalia.
On Aug. 29, the Saildrone passed through the north side of Idalia’s eye wall and then into the eye of the hurricane itself. According to NOAA, the vehicle then passed through the southern eye wall, all while multiple dropsondes were deployed over the Saildrone from the NOAA P-3 aircraft.
NOAA said this Saildrone withstood sustained tropical storm force winds for more than nine hours and waves as high as 31 feet.