Waves of eight and a half meters (28.12 feet) high were recorded by a drone about 60 kilometers from the center of Hurricane Milton, during its path this Wednesday across the Gulf of Mexico towards the coasts of Florida.
The video recorded from inside the hurricane by a device from the company Saildrone also documented wind gusts exceeding 122 km/h (75.95 mph) and was published on the social network X by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.
"Within Hurricane Milton, @saildrone reported waves of 28.12 feet high and wind gusts of up to 75.95 mph 40 nautical miles from the center of the storm," the post highlighted. "This research represents a collaborative effort to better understand the role of the ocean in hurricanes."
On its social media profile, Saildrone expressed pride in "supporting NOAA in its ongoing effort to better understand and predict devastating events such as Hurricane Milton."
At the same time, he wished "everyone in their path the best of luck to weather the storm safe and sound."
The images of the giant waves, driven by the strong winds of this tropical cyclone, are striking. It has recently downgraded to category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (out of a maximum of 5), but it remains very powerful and dangerous, as indicated by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The passengers of the cruise ship Harmony of the Seas, from Royal Caribbean, experienced firsthand the intensity of Hurricane Milton as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday while approaching the west coast of Florida.
At 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the NHC reported in a statement that the eye of Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Florida's west coast, according to Doppler radar data, and that maximum sustained winds upon landfall were estimated at 120 mph (193 km/h).
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