Lookout For These Unmanned Drones, They're Hunting Hurricanes

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS —Very few sailboats try to steer into a hurricane. But we're not talking about your average boat. This summer, five sailboat-like drones will be deployed in USVI waters. Their mission: to sail into hurricanes and collect data that will help forecasters predict future storms.

Saildrone, a California-based company, is launching five uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) from the U.S. Virgin Islands this August. They look like Sunfish, the minimalist sailboat, but they are totally unmanned.

The USVs are designed to sail into the paths of hurricanes in order to collect data, including air temperature, relative humidity, water temperature and salinity and more. Ultimately, Salindron hopes the data will paint a better picture of how hurricanes grow and intensify.

The drone-like vehicles are powered by wind and solar and are equipped with "hurricane wings" that enable them to operate in stormy conditions. They can withstand winds over 70 mph and waves over 10 feet.

The data will be shared in real-time with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Hopefully, the data will help scientists understand how storms grow and strengthen. It will also help forecasters better predict tropical storms, including understanding the ocean-atmosphere interactions that fuel them.

Saildrones will be patrolling USVI waters for the duration of the 2021 hurricane season, which started on Tuesday. So keep an eye out when you're on the water this summer. And if you spot one, steer clear. But maybe wish it good luck.

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