- A photo from hurricane hunters taken inside the eye of Hurricane Dorian shows the heart of the mega-storm as it barrels toward the US.
- The photo was taken Sunday by Garrett Black, a meteorologist in the US Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.
- The Category 5 storm decimated northern parts of The Bahamas on Sunday. It is expected to bring heavy rains, strong wings, and flooding to the southeastern US on Tuesday.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
This eerily calm photo the eye of Hurricane Dorian, one of the most powerful storms ever seen in the Atlantic.
US Air Force pilots, known as hurricane hunters, are flying regular reconnaissance missions into Dorian, which strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane early Sunday as it tore through the northern Bahamas.
Garrett Black, a meteorologist with the US Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew through the eye on Sunday, giving a glimpse inside the destructive storm.
A NOAA friend of mine just flew Hurricane Dorian. Pretty incredible stadium structure in the eye! pic.twitter.com/cXmRR77GhN
— Dr. Chelsea ❄️ (@ArcticAirDoctor) September 1, 2019
This video from the National Hurricane Center shows a plane making its way through the cloud.
INSIDE THE EYE OF HURRICANE DORIAN - #NOAA42 Kermit flies through Category 5 Hurricane #Dorian on 09/01/19 morning mission (credit: Ian Sears, NOAA). Forecasts and advisories at https://t.co/3phpgKMZaS, preparation tips at https://t.co/ZUC1oGAvw6 #FlyNOAA pic.twitter.com/iclEmItCtb
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) September 2, 2019
The vertical stacks of thick ominous cloud seen in the photo and video are known to meteorologists as the "stadium effect" — a sign of a particularly powerful storm.
People in northern parts of The Bahamas posted videos and pictures to social media on Sunday showing violent rains, winds, and flooding clattering the Abaco Islands.
As #HurricaneDorian approached the #AbacoIslands, NOAA's #GOESEast zoomed in on the powerful storm's eye. The Cat. 5 storm's "maximum winds have increased to near 175 mph with gusts over 200 mph," according to @NHC_Atlantic. Follow the storm: https://t.co/VDEWvXtPxt pic.twitter.com/wLnZjJJYMO
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 1, 2019
The National Hurricane Center said on Sunday they recorded maximum winds of 185 mph on the Abaco Islands, making Dorian joint top for the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record.
Read more: Photos show the damage from Dorian in the Caribbean as the hurricane heads for Florida
Hubert Minnis, the prime minister of the Bahamas, said: "You cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins."
Hurricane Dorian is now making its way toward Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
It is expected to cause "life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane-force winds" from as early as Tuesday.
Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have declared states of emergency.
Read more:
- The 14 most important ways to prepare for a hurricane
- Hurricane Dorian is set to wreak havoc on air travel — here's what you need to know about flights
- Spaghetti models of Hurricane Dorian show the storm heading for Florida — but you should not read them as forecasts
- Hurricane categories tell only part of the story — here's the real damage storms like Dorian can do
- Why hurricanes are getting stronger, slower, and wetter
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