NOAA’s hurricane hunter ‘Kermit’ meets St. Elmo’s fire as it flies through lightning storm in the clouds (VIDEO)

The fearless crew of NOAA’s plane Kermit were busy hunting down hurricanes in the North Atlantic, when they were dazzled by a bout of St. Elmo’s fire. Thankfully, the cameras were rolling and captured the awe-inspiring sight.

Kermit is one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) storm chasing planes participating in the agency’s Ocean Winds research project, which aims to better understand some of the most ferocious weather systems known to man. 

The aircraft flew into a dramatic forked lightning storm. © NOAA Aircraft Operations Center

As an added bonus for putting their lives at risk, the intrepid researchers get to see some truly incredible natural phenomenon. The most recent example came in recent days when they flew into the path of St. Elmo’s fire.

Lieutenant Josh Rannenberg captured extraordinary footage of the spectacular light show, and the NOAA released the video on Tuesday.

St. Elmo's fire is luminous plasma created by a corona discharge in the midst of a strong electric field in the atmosphere. It’s usually only found in some of the more extreme conditions pilots dare to face.

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