Inside Isaias: Saildrone documents the wild environment inside the deadly hurricane before violent landfall
Saildrone captured stunning footage from inside Hurricane Isaias as the uncrewed vessel passed through the storm’s eye amid fierce winds and towering waves in the Gulf of America.
Inside a major hurricane: Saildrone documents Isaias at peak intensity
On Oct. 9, Hurricane Isaias raged across the Gulf of America as a Category 3 storm when it encountered SD-1045, a 7-meter uncrewed surface vehicle operated by Saildrone in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be in the ocean during a major hurricane?
This past week, Saildrone offered the world a rare look at those conditions when Hurricane Isaias crossed paths with one of its vessels in the raging Gulf, where the major storm sparked towering waves and dangerous winds.
HURRICANE ISAIAS FROM START TO FINISH AS DEADLY STORM LEAVES TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS GULF COAST
On Oct. 9, Hurricane Isaias raged across the Gulf of America as a Category 3 storm when it encountered SD-1045, a 7-meter uncrewed surface vehicle operated by Saildrone in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A Saildrone vessel captured rare footage from inside a major hurricane, recording powerful winds and waves reaching 65 feet as it passed through Hurricane Isaias’ eye in the Gulf of America. (Saildrone/NOAA / NOAA)
The state-of-the-art vessel is equipped with meteorological instruments that collect vital storm data, and a camera that captured jaw-dropping footage of what the extreme conditions within a powerful major hurricane look like.
Positioned approximately 150 nautical miles south of Pensacola, Florida, SD-1045 intercepted Hurricane Isaias from the storm’s northern edge before passing directly through the eye.
The uncrewed vessel experienced wind gusts exceeding 103 mph, and waves reaching up to 20 meters, or 65 feet, high, Saildrone said.
Hurricane Isaias on Oct. 9. (CIRA CSU / NOAA)
To the east, another Saildrone vessel, SD-1057, intercepted the storm’s eastern quadrant approximately 170 nautical miles west of Sarasota, Florida.
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Hurricane Isaias would go on to make a dangerous landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, Florida, around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, packing sustained winds of 105 mph.
This isn't SD-1045's first rodeo.
The drone has been deployed on every Saildrone and NOAA hurricane mission since 2021, intercepting major hurricanes and tropical storms each season.
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The uncrewed vessel is designed to collect ocean-atmosphere data inside major tropical cyclones, and was battle-tested in historic fashion 2021, when it captured the world’s first video from inside a major hurricane at sea during Hurricane Rachel.
For the latest on the remnants of Hurricane Isaias as it charges up the East Coast, stay with FOX Weather's continuous coverage here.