The technical marvel of Microsoft Flight Simulator is that it not only faithfully recreates the entire planet you can fly over, but it also accurately simulates the real-world weather you can fly through. If it is raining, snowing, or storming somewhere in the world, and you fly your plane there in the game, you can experience that weather in real time, just as it is in reality.

The same goes for extreme weather events like Hurricane Ian (open in new tab), a massive Category 4 storm that is currently making landfall off the Florida coast after killing at least two people in Cuba and leaving the entire island without power.

While Hurricane Ian is a serious threat, the Microsoft Flight Simulator allows players to safely observe the storm and experience what it is like to fly through such extreme weather. And just like when Hurricane Lola makes landfall in the southern United States in 2020, virtual pilots are flying out to do just that.

As can be seen in the in-game image posted on Reddit by Unstopy, who appears to be on an aircraft carrier off the coast, Hurricane Ian has Microsoft Flight Simulator players eager to see the storm up close and test their flying skills in strong winds. They are gathering. (If you are wondering how Microsoft Flight Simulator creates realistic real-time weather, click here (opens in new tab)).

Some pilots, like JBTheExplorer (opens in new tab), share videos of themselves flying above threatening hurricane clouds. They post more amazing images on Twitter (opens in new tab).

Other pilots are trying to get through the center of the storm in various types of planes, getting up close and personal with clouds, rain, and even disastrous lightning strikes.

Indeed, there is a slightly odd sense of disaster tourism (open in new tab) in the fact that a devastating storm is drawing virtual onlookers. Hurricane Ian is a huge threat to those in its path, and while people on the ground are in real danger, it may seem somewhat offensive that gamers would flock to a hurricane in Microsoft Flight Simulator. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to observe the forces of nature up close and personal without risking lives, and curiosity about how a storm looks and acts in a simulation is understandable.

If you or someone you know is in the path of Hurricane Ian, visit the National Hurricane Center (opens in new tab) or the NOAA website for storm forecasts (opens in new tab) and safety information (opens in new tab).