Microsoft Flight Simulator players fly to Hurricane Laura

Microsoft Flight Simulator players turned into virtual stormtroopers this week, hunting for Hurricane Laura as it approached the U.S. Gulf Coast. While Texas and Louisiana support what is described as a “not to survive storm surge, ”The real-time weather inside Microsoft Flight Simulator delivers a surreal spectacle for players.

Virtual current fighters have gathered in the skies above the Gulf of Mexico to fly directly into Hurricane Laura. The results demonstrate the incredible realism in it Microsoft Flight Simulator, just as Hurricane Laura threatens catastrophic damage in the real world. Players fly directly through the eye of the storm, around the outer edges, and even so far that planes have been frozen over and the ice is needed.

The virtual views allowed players to follow Hurricane Laura during the moments before it was attacked as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph wind. A YouTube user also captured the virtual experience of flying through Hurricane Laura, showing how well the storm cloud formations are depicted in the game.

Flight Simulator uses real-time weather data to map conditions around the world to make this possible. Microsoft has partnered with Swiss company Meteoblue to map the world’s weather patterns. Meteoblue divides the world into 250 million boxes, each measuring wind speed, temperature, pressure, and many more. While the weather data were originally limited to virtual pilot airports, Flight Simulator now replicates real-time weather forecasting events with incredible accuracy.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been waking players up since its release on PC earlier this month. The game uses Bing Maps data to map the world, combined with Azure-powered technology generation technology to bring things like buildings and trees to life. Most important landmarks are well represented (at least in the US). You can also get close to elephants and giraffes in a safari flight over Ethiopia if hurricane chase is not your thing.