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A team of pilots from 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron based in Mississippi was able to predict the strength of Hurricane Patricia by flying directly into the storm. The US Government has several aircraft fitted with sensors which can track hurricanes and provide real-time information on storms before they make landfall. The squadron's chief meteorologist, Lt Colonel Jon Talbot, told 5 Live: "We measured the strongest winds that have ever been measured from an aircraft in a hurricane of 192 knots, which is 220 miles per hour." On what it feels like to fly directly into a storm, he said: "It's quite a beautiful sight because you see clouds towering above you in a complete circle around the aircraft." He told Stephen Nolan about the experience.
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