WHAT IT IS LIKE BEING IN THE EYE OF HURRICANE ERIN

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also referred to as the “Hurricane Hunters,” readied to depart from their advance station in St. Croix on August 15, 2025. Their objective? To find out why Hurricane Erin grew stronger at such a record rate—and in such a short period of time—they flew their planes directly into it.

Erin, the fifth storm of the 2025 Atlantic season, formed on August 11 and, as it moved into the Lesser Antilles on August 15, became a hurricane. It had already intensified into a Category 5 storm the following day, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. Only satellite footage taken by NASA's GOES-19 weather satellite, which was first launched in June 2024, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed these alarming numbers.

The dramatic spiral Erin has become, overtaken by frequent lightning strikes, strong winds, and boiling clouds, is demonstrated in one GOES-19 video in particular. There is a churning black hole at the core of the storm.

As if this weren't scary enough, the Hurricane Hunters have now made their most recent excursion's video public. The team's most notable accomplishment was capturing the stunning "stadium effect," which gets its name from the storm's tall cloud walls that enclose the viewer like stadium seats. A serene portion of the blue sky may be seen beyond the whirling clouds; this sharp contrast only heightens Erin's wrath. The Hurricane Hunters eventually drive their planes farther into the wall, where the hurricane is strongest. This is when the footage turns chaotic, with the camera being battered by so much wind and rain that it obscures our view of the storm.

In the end, Hurricane Erin left the East Coast without reaching land. However, the flight was still a great use of time. The Hurricane Hunters explain that these missions give the [National Hurricane Centre] vital information to enhance predictions and protect towns' safety before the storm hits land.