WATCH: Plane flies THROUGH Hurricane Laura, as adventure-seekers below make the most of wild weather

Having pleaded with residents to flee the oncoming Hurricane Laura, US Gulf Coast authorities are now advising those left behind to shelter in place. But it seems some didn’t get the memo and are facing nature’s fury head-on.

The National Hurricane Center is warning remaining residents to shelter in place immediately and to treat any and all imminent extreme winds “as if a tornado was approaching” as the Category 4 storm lashes eastern Texas and Louisiana.

Meanwhile, people were given a rare glimpse into conditions in the teeth of the storm, thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) hurricane-chasing airplane. Nick Underwood of the NOAA shared a time-lapse video from on board the agency’s Kermit aircraft during one of its five passes through the hurricane – a feat that brought his career total of hurricane penetrations or “pennies” to 61.

NOAA staff captured several stunning views from their aircraft as the hurricane moved over the Gulf and intensified en route to making landfall in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The majesty and brutality of the storm were captured from low-Earth orbit, with footage showing intense electrical activity as the catastrophic storm bore down on the eastern seaboard of the US.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, several adrenaline junkies couldn’t stop themselves from making the most of the tempestuous times, taking to the crashing waves aboard their windsurf boards off Courthouse Pier in Gulfport Mississippi.

And the media couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cut some dramatic footage either, as the Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams endured lashing winds and torrential rain to deliver the perfect hurricane coverage.

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