NOAA plane flies through powerful Hurricane Irma

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, sent "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft over the Atlantic to get a closer look at Hurricane Irma.

These pilots, called the Hurricane Hunters, plunge into the strong bands of hurricanes to gather scientific research to help forecasters and scientists predict the path and scope of destruction.

Irma will likely strike Florida by Sunday, possibly as a mammoth Category 4 storm.

While still a Category 5, Irma caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands before heading to Cuba and the Florida Peninsula.