Storm chasers can be known for seeking thrills, but a group operating deep in America’s Tornado Alley has achieved a world first, capturing 360-degree drone footage from inside a tornado.

“It was pretty surreal. I’d never seen a tornado with so many different kinds of rings in it,” The OTUS Project’s Louis Tucker said.

While drones have previously been flown into tornadoes, this marks the first time a 360-degree camera has recorded vision from within, offering a completely immersive view of the storm.

The historic achievement goes beyond capturing extraordinary footage.

The drone has provided invaluable data, offering never-before-seen insights by measuring temperature, pressure, humidity, and even experimental 3D wind patterns.

It marks a major breakthrough on previous dangerous scientific efforts, with some losing their lives trying to get close enough to study these powerful weather events.

Now, America’s Federal Aviation Administration has endorsed the new approach, highlighting it as a much safer method and unlocking possibilities for the future of storm research.