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Alameda-based Saildrone captures stunning video of Hurricane Milton from Gulf of Mexico
An Alameda-based company is getting a first-hand look at Hurricane Milton as it batters the southeastern U.S.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Alameda-based company is getting a firsthand look at Hurricane Milton as it batters the southeastern U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared video on Wednesday from Saildrone, a Bay Area company that creates sailboat-like technology that moves directly into a hurricane's path, providing researchers with critical data like storm intensity and wave height.
Saildrone's technology was in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday as Milton produced intense storm conditions. The drone video from Wednesday showed wind gusts of more than 75 miles per hour and 28-foot waves.
The drones are navigated by the company's Alameda-based mission management team.
"Our mission management team serves as our group of navigators who collaborate with the customers to get the vehicles where they need to be," Julia Paxton, the company's director of mission management, told KTVU in 2023.
"Our pilots are the humans that are sending the sets of navigation command," she went on to say.
As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, the hurricane was centered about 60 miles from Sarasota, Florida.
The state had seen at least seven tornadoes as of 1 p.m., the Associated Press reported.
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Alameda's Saildrones collect hurricane data
Scientists are getting never-before-seen glimpses inside the eyes of hurricanes thanks to new drone technology being built right here in the Bay Area. The company, Saildrone, is based on Alameda. It makes robotic sailboats to collect high quality ocean data. These sailboats were created to chase hurricanes. Mark Tamayo reports