Meteorologist Battered by Intense Wind and Rain as Hurricane Sally Hits Pensacola

Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday morning as a Category 2 hurricane near Pensacola, Florida, bringing catastrophic and life threatening flooding to parts of the Gulf shore on September 16.

Winds gusts of 81 miles per hour were reported and over 140,000 Pensacola residents were without power as of 10.44 am EDT.

This footage recorded by Samuel Roback shows a meteorologist, Ryan Rackliffe, attempting to step into the storm to take measurements with a handheld weather device.

“While these events can be bad for some people, meteorologists, including us are fascinated by severe weather, and really appreciate the opportunity to experience it first hand,” Roback told Storyful.

A piece of the newly constructed 3 mile bridge was reported missing on Wednesday morning, as were downed trees and damaged structures. The storm was expected to move inland Wednesday night. Credit: Samuel Roback via Storyful