in the eye of the storm

At the center of or deeply involved in an especially difficult, stressful, or hectic situation or period of time. The "eye," or center, of a storm is surrounded by the strongest winds. Landlords are about to find themselves in the eye of the storm if the government passes this new housing legislation. My mother was in the eye of the storm for Thanksgiving, cooking dinner for us and all of our extended family who had come to visit.

If you are in the eye of the storm, you are deeply involved in a difficult or controversial situation. I wondered how much I was going to miss being in the eye of the storm — because that is always where the president was. These days central bankers are in the eye of the storm. Note: You can also say that someone is at the eye of the storm. Bristol University, at the eye of the storm whipped up last year, has reaffirmed its admissions policy. Note: This expression refers to the centre or middle part of a storm. However, in wind storms, such as cyclones and tornados, the eye is in reality a relatively calm area of low pressure in the centre.