Saildrone, Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released video footage gathered by a Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) from inside Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, barreling across the Atlantic Ocean.

For the second year, NOAA and Saildrone are hurricane chasing with uncrewed wind-powered vehicles. Last year, the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 was directed into the midst of Hurricane Sam where it battled 50-foot waves and winds of over 120 mph to collect critical scientific data.

This year, the Saildrone Explorer SD 1078 was sent into Hurricane Fiona, which is currently on a path northward in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm drenched Bermuda with heavy rain and is expected to hit the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Friday. Hurricane Fiona is the first Category 4 storm of the 2022 season. SD 1078 is also battling 50-foot waves and winds measured over 100 mph.

From the Saildrone press release: Inside the storm, SD 1078 is sailing at sustained speeds over 9 mph. At one moment, it reached a peak speed of 39.7 mph while surfing down a massive wave. The vehicle is currently 315 nm southwest of Bermuda.

SD 1078 is one of seven “hurricane” saildrones that have been operating in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico during this hurricane season, gathering data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. This knowledge is critical to improving storm forecasting and is expected to reduce the loss of human life by enabling better preparedness in coastal communities.

“Saildrone is once again demonstrating its ability to provide critical ocean data in the most extreme weather conditions. Hurricane Fiona intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane just before hitting Puerto Rico, causing significant damage and loss of life,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. “The data Saildrone vehicles are gathering will help the science community better understand rapid intensification, giving people living in our coastal communities more time to prepare.”

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Thanks to Ginny Jones for contributing to this post.