Split-screen imagery from Saildrone Inc. shows an illustration of Hurricane Fiona's location and circulation, left, and drone video from the Atlantic Ocean churning in the storm on Sept. 22, 2022.

Fifty-foot waves, wind gusts higher than 100 mph and sideways rain - that's what it's like inside Hurricane Fiona, the first Category 4 storm of the 2022 Atlantic basin hurricane season. Fiona was barrelling through the Atlantic Ocean toward Bermuda and Nova Scotia on Thursday. 

Saildrone Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released recordings from inside Fiona, showing the ups and downs of a wildly turbulent sea. The recording was made by one of Saildrone's uncrewed surface vehicles, boats largely powered by wind and solar energy to capture hurricane data. 

“Uncrewed systems in the air, on the ocean surface and underwater have the potential to transform how NOAA meets its mission to better understand the environment,” said Philip Hall, director of the agency's Uncrewed Systems Operations Center, which is providing funding for the Saildrone effort. “These exciting emerging technologies provide NOAA with another valuable tool that can collect data in places we can’t get to with other observing systems.”

This is the second video Saildrone has released from inside a major hurricane. Last year, another drone spent 24 hours inside Category 4 Hurricane Sam, sending back high-resolution video and images in almost real time.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

News Tips: newstips@theadvocate.com

Other questions: subscriberservices@theadvocate.com