LOOKING INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM
Hurricane Hunters collect data points crucial for emergency decision making
Story by : Julia Regeski
When looking at a hurricane , from above or on a screen , it ’ s hard to tell the complexities going on within . Forecasters face this problem every day and depend heavily on one particular team to face the storm head on and collect the data they so desperately need .
Hurricane Hunters are specially trained pilots , navigators and weather reconnaissance experts who fly straight into severe weather to gather real-time information , which can be crucial in determining exactly who and when the storm will hit .
The Air Force ’ s Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination All Hurricanes unit coordinates the two teams in the U . S . that act as Hurricane Hunters : the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association ’ s Air Operations Center and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron . The 53rd WRS , a component of the Air Force Reserve ’ s 403rd Wing located at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi ,
Miss ., is the larger and more active of the two .
At the request of CARCAH , who works daily with forecasters to determine what data they require , the 53rd Squadron sends its crews in and around hurricanes and areas of interest in search of data such as wind speed , direction , temperature , humidity , pressure , and more , all of which are collected using one of the squadron ’ s ten specially outfitted WC-130Js .
Despite the advanced technical abilities of these aircraft , being a
Above : A picture of Hurricane Patricia taken from space . Courtesy of AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters . Credit : Astronaut Scott Kelly
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September 2018