NATCHEZ — Lt. Col. Darryl Woods has flown through hurricanes for 16 years, but said he had never seen anything like Irma.

A member of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Woods regularly flies into hurricanes to gather data for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Last Week, Irma’s sustained 185 mile-per-hour winds shook the airplane as Woods steered it into the Category 5 storm.

Irma poured feet — not inches — of rain down on them, Woods said.

The airplane avoided large mesocylones, rotating, tornado-like formations that can be dangerous to airplanes.

“You fly in one of those,” Woods said, “You could end up in the ocean or dead.”

It was the largest and strongest storm Woods said he has ever seen.

The 1986 Cathedral graduate said he started flying with the squadron in 2001 when he left the Keesler Air Force Base for commercial airlines. He joined the Air Force Reserve, he said, because he still wanted to serve.

He had heard of the 53rd Squadron, affectionately called the world famous Hurricane Hunters, before, and decided to join them.

“Growing up in Natchez, I’d heard about them,” said Woods, whose mother, father and extended family still live in Natchez. “I thought it would be an amazing job.”

Since then, he has flown through countless storms and four Category 5 hurricanes. Category 5 storms can have wind speeds 165 miles per hour or faster.

Irma’s 185 mile-per-hour sustained winds for 37 hours consecutively broke weather records. Woods flew through the storm three times, twice as a Category 4 and once as a Category 5.

“It was a very rough ride,” Woods said.

Irma happens to be the name of Woods’ mother, so “There were some conflicting feelings there,” he said, joking.

Though the storms are dangerous, Woods said they are also exhilarating.

“When you’re out there, and you actually hear the rain — more rain than you’ve ever seen in your life — and the hail that sounds like a gravel truck going down the highway,” Woods said, “Breaking through the wall is like walking into your living room.”

When entering the quiet eye of the storm, Woods said he is always struck by the beauty of it.

“We do have moments when we see that beautiful eyewall where there’s a few seconds of awe. But then it’s right back to work.”

The information the pilots gather directs evacuation orders, weather reports and tracks the speed of the storm. Woods was flying through a tropical depression last month when he and the researchers noticed that the wind speeds were that of a tropical storm. They called the National Hurricane Center, and they decided to name it Harvey.

That was his only experience with the storm that would wreak so much havoc on Houston and southeast Texas later that week.

“The sun was shining and we had just 25 mph tops,” Woods said. “It was no different than being on the beach looking over the water.”

The first hurricane he flew into was in 2002, with an instructor who played “Rock Me Like A Hurricane,” by the band Scorpions, as they flew toward the eye of the storm.

Though the pilots and researchers can sometimes have fun, he said the job is primarily serious.

Woods said people often ask him if he’s afraid while flying in the storm. He said he doesn’t fear the wind, rain and hail, but he respects it. The danger, he said, is worth the risk.

“It’s the best job in the world,” he said. “Every time we go out we’re saving lives.”