The video shows the Hurricane Hunters plane encountering extreme turbulence as it flew through Milton

Calling this a “bumpy ride” was an understatement, as new video shows a NOAA Hurricane Hunters flight crew contending with extreme turbulence as the data collection flight flew through Category 5 Hurricane Milton.

A crew member's phone and wallet are flying through the air along with a lot of equipment as the plane was caught in what is expected to be a catastrophic storm that is expected to hit Florida's west coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.

“Bumpy ride into Hurricane #Milton with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 'Miss Piggy' to collect critical data to improve forecasts and support hurricane research,” said the Hurricane Hunters- team in releasing the two-minute video from the flight on Tuesday.

You can follow Hurricane Hunters and watch more videos online here.

The plane they piloted into Hurricane Milton is known as “Miss Piggy” and is one of NOAA's two Lockheed WP-3D Orion four-engine turboprop aircraft.

In keeping with the Muppet theme, the other Hurricane Hunter aircraft is nicknamed “Kermit”.

The aircraft are flown and crewed by members of the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps. Scientists are also on board, using instruments that transmit wind speed, temperature, pressure, humidity and many other forecast data points.

“Slicing through the eyewall of a hurricane, they are battered by howling winds, blinding rain and violent ups and downs before entering the relative calm of the eye of the storm, the two from NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion “Four-engine turboprop aircraft… study every change in wind and pressure, repeating the often strenuous experience over and over again over the course of an 8-10 hour mission,” the NOAA website explains.

Evacuations along Florida's southwest coast continue today, and there are reports that hundreds of gas stations along evacuation routes are running out of gas. Huge storm surges, dangerously strong winds and other hurricane conditions – including lightning and tornadoes – could make this powerful storm no longer survivable in some areas, authorities warn.

Milton fell from Category 5 to Category 4 on Wednesday morning. It is still making its way to the Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3 million people.