NOAA Plane Flies Inside Category 5 Hurricane Polo: Watch the View
NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew directly into Hurricane Polo, capturing rare footage of its eyewall and eye while collecting crucial storm data.
A NOAA hurricane-hunting aircraft flew directly into Hurricane Polo, capturing a dramatic view from inside one of the most powerful storms of 2026. Footage recorded during a September 22 mission shows the WP-3D Orion aircraft crossing dense clouds and the storm’s eyewall before entering its eye, where a striking ring of towering clouds surrounds a patch of clearer sky.
The aircraft, one of NOAA’s specialised Hurricane Hunter planes, carries instruments that measure wind speed, air pressure, temperature and humidity. Scientists also release dropsondes into the storm to collect atmospheric data that satellites cannot capture in the same way. One of the two aircraft is nicknamed “Miss Piggy,” which is arguably a much more cheerful name than what you’d expect for a plane voluntarily flying into a hurricane.
Polo reached Category 5 strength on September 24, with maximum sustained winds of around 260 kmph. Aircraft observations later recorded winds near 240 kmph as the hurricane underwent changes in its eyewall structure.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir also photographed Polo from the International Space Station, showing the storm’s clearly defined eye from hundreds of kilometres above Earth.
The hurricane was later reported as Category 4, moving westward offshore from Mexico. While its core remained offshore, heavy rain in southwestern Mexico raised concerns about flooding and mudslides.
