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