“We were conditioned to believe there would never be a hurricane like this, that would come this far inland...but now we know ...

Ahead, the first major spiral band--an ominous dark mass of forbidding cumulonimbus clouds--blocks our path ... hurricane force--a mere 60 mph. This is remarkably low, so close to the eyewall ...

A fist of clouds protrudes out from the eyewall, blocking our path. We penetrate. Turbulence rocks the aircraft. The winds jump to 75 mph, hurricane force. We are in the eyewall. Gerry banks us ...