The recent devastation visited upon the Southeastern United States by Hurricane Helene is yet another example of how more powerful and destructive tropical cyclones have become. But even the most ferocious of storms have a soft spot, a region in the center of all that swirling cloud that remains calm and clear and free of the most severe weather. This is the eye of the storm, a phenomenon that still baffles scientists and has yet to be fully explained. But how does an eye occur, and why are some people prepared to fly an aircraft through the most extreme of weather conditions to reach it?
For an explanation, click through this gallery for some eye-popping facts.