Moment Hurricane Milton trackers fly directly into Category 5 storm eye in daring mission

This is the incredible moment a team of flew straight into the eye of .

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - a federal agency that tracks - and the Air Force's Hurricane Hunters are largely to thank for collecting the data that alerted those on the ground to the looming threat.

A state of emergency has been declared in Florida, with officials ordering one of the largest evacuation procedures the state has ever seen.

The historic storm - an extremely powerful tropical cyclone - is expected to make landfall on Wednesday after barrelling across the Gulf of Mexico. It underwent explosive intensification into a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, but has now been downgraded to a Cat 4. But experts believe it will still wreak havoc on the area, which is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene just 12 days ago.

Jaw dropping footage shows the moment the hurricane trackers flew directly into the eye of the storm. Their job was made even more difficult because the eye was "much smaller than typical".

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The caption on the video explains how the team "measured Milton's minimum central pressure at 897mb". This is the "fifth lowest ever in an Atlantic hurricane".

The caption continued: "As a hurricane's minimum pressure drops, the storm gets stronger and its wind speeds increase. Milton's 180-mph winds Monday made it one of online nine Atlantic hurricanes to reach that threshold or higher."

It was downgraded early on Tuesday to but and could pose serious danger to life. Orlando meteorologist Noah Bergen said Milton is the fifth strongest hurricane ever recorded by pressure, adding on : "This hurricane is nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth's atmosphere over this ocean water can produce."

Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not seen a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Evacuation orders were issued ahead of the storm on Monday, and anyone who decides to stay has been told they should expect to cope on their own, with first responders not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.

Forecasters have warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. This is the highest ever predicted for the region and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, according to National Hurricane Centre spokesperson Maria Torres.

A storm surge is a change in sea level caused by a storm. This can lead to extensive flooding, and can be devastating for people living in coastal areas.