This stunning footage shows a crew of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "hurricane hunters" as they fly through Hurricane Matthew's eyewall and into the eye of the storm.

The footage, shot when the storm was a Category 4 hurricane, shows the WP-3D Orion aircraft experiencing severe turbulence as rain and debris hit the windscreen.

Hurricane hunters have an important scientific role as they are able to record variables that are difficult for satellites in space to measure in detail. That includes hurricane wind speed, temperature, humidity, air pressure and rainfall.

The information is key to issuing accurate hurricane warnings.

Jim Van Fleet, a meteorologist at CBS Tampa (WTSP 10), went on a NOAA mission and tweeted his experience:

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

The outer eye wall of Category 3 Hurricane Matthew is now wrapping around the critical infrastructure located at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.

True hurricane conditions, with sustained winds of 76 miles per hour and a peak gust to 107 miles per hour, have been measured at the Canaveral Air Force Station during the past hour.

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