Hurricane Hunters Fly Through Towering Cloud Walls Of Hurricane Isaias

NOAA Hurricane Hunters flew into Hurricane Isaias in early October 2026, capturing footage from inside a research aircraft as turbulent cloud walls surrounded the plane.

The 47-second video, credited to NOAA Corps Lt. Cmdr. Pierce Niemiec, was recorded aboard the NOAA P-3 aircraft NOAA43, nicknamed “Miss Piggy,” as the hurricane approached landfall.

NOAA said the aircraft was collecting data to improve forecasts and support research conducted with its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Isaias became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season on October 7 after rapidly intensifying. Data collected by Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, including dropsonde measurements, helped confirm its upgrade to hurricane status.

It was the latest first hurricane of an Atlantic season on record since at least 1905. By October 11, Isaias had become post-tropical over the Appalachian region.