Into the storm: Saildrone to pierce the eye of hurricane season for fifth consecutive year

Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside the eye of a hurricane? A company called Saildrone will continue to show us a firsthand perspective by sending uncrewed vessels into extreme storms, helping scientists better understand how hurricanes form and intensify.

For the fifth consecutive hurricane season, Saildrone will deploy a fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles to monitor the harshest ocean conditions to gather vital data on the rapid intensification of brewing storms. 

Since 2021, Saildrone has been on the frontlines supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) effort to better understand tropical cyclones.

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This summer, Saildrone will deploy 10 Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) that will collect oceanographic and meteorological data in real time.

The 23-foot-long vessel is designed to handle the harshest seas the Earth has to offer, and is equipped with a suite of sensors to measure wind speed and direction, air, surface and sub-surface temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, salinity and wave height and period.

These battle-proven USVs have seen some of the worst extreme weather in recent years – rolling with the punches during extreme hurricane conditions during notable storms like Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Ian, to name just a few.

From August to November, the peak months of hurricane season, the Saildrone USVs will be positioned in the western tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America tracking hurricanes as they develop.

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While vessels will be fighting the harshest weather elements Earth has to offer in the form of hurricanes, NOAA scientists will use the data collected to study how exchanges of heat, moisture and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere influence storm intensity.

The durable vessel includes a robust "hurricane" wing built to survive winds over 110 mph and massive waves exceeding 50 feet.

"This multi-year mission between NOAA and Saildrone is helping to improve our understanding of how hurricanes intensify, including when they strengthen rapidly before landfall," Greg Foltz, an oceanographer at NOAA and one of the principal investigators on the mission, said.

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"Each storm we observe gives us more data to evaluate and improve prediction models, which is critical for increasing forecast confidence, extending warning lead times and strengthening the nation’s preparedness for high-impact weather events," he continued.

While hurling towards hurricanes over the past five years, Saildrone has intercepted 21 named hurricanes and tropical storms on 46 occasions, spending more than 2,600 days on missions supporting hurricane research.

"The NOAA hurricane mission is one of Saildrone’s longest-running and most successful partnerships, and also one of the most technically demanding," Matt Womble, vice president of government relations at Saildrone, said.

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"This mission reinforces the value of mature, long-duration uncrewed systems for operating in environments where persistent data collection is otherwise impossible by traditional means. Better hurricane data supports better forecasts, and better forecasts strengthen national resilience—protecting lives, infrastructure, commerce and critical operations," he continued.

During the 2026 hurricane season, Saildrone will transmit real-time data directly to global forecast centers, improving forecast accuracy and enabling federal, state and local officials to issue timely warnings—helping reduce storm impacts and, most importantly, protect lives.