Microsoft Flight Simulator lets you explore Hurricane Ida firsthand
Microsoft Flight Simulator provides the closest look most will see of Hurricane Ida.
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What you need to know
Microsoft Flight Simulatorprovided a unique perspective of the destructive force of Hurricane Ida. The game has an option for live weather, which many players enabled to fly over virtual versions of Hurricane Ida (viaPC Gamer). The game gathers weather data from Meteoblue and uses Microsoft’s Azure AI to simulate real-world weather. While the game doesn’t create an exact replica of real-world weather, it provides some insight into the nature and size of the recent storm.
Hurricane Ida was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the continental United States. On August 29, 2021, Ida hit land as a category 4 hurricane. It traveled over 1,500 miles and hit 22 states. On the day it made landfall, several gamers flew through or over simulations of Hurricane Ida.
The video above shows a timelapse of the simulated storm building up over the Gulf of Mexico.
A second video shows a player flying over and then through a simulation of Hurricane Ida.
Yet another video shows what it could look like above the storm, giving a gauge of the size of Hurricane Ida.
A fourth video shows a player flying into and out of the storm several times.
Unfortunately, in the real world, at least26 people lost their livesin the storm. Power outages continue in affected regions.
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Microsoft Flight Simulator is an incredibly powerful game that can replicate weather from the real world.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
