“Our data
says ‘this
is what
the storm
is getting
ready to
do’”
Lt. Col. John Fox
Chief Navigator 53rd WRS
8
|
September 2018
working to collect the data the
forecasters have requested, using
the equipment outfitted on the
plane or by dropping special
sensors straight down through the
storm.
All of the information collected
during the flight is sent to the
National Hurricane Center in
real time. “Our data, on average,
improves the hurricane center’s
forecasts by about 25 to 30 percent,”
said Lt. Col. John Fox, Chief
Navigator with the squadron.
“Satellites and radar provide a
high map of the US, while we
provide the street map. Our data
says ‘this is what the storm is
getting ready to do’, and a satellite
picture just isn’t going to do that.”
Knowing what the storm is
or isn’t going to do is crucial
for making decisions such as
evacuations, and protecting the
potentially vulnerable people
in the storm’s path. For crew
members, this responsibility is a
serious one. “Those of us flying in
the storm, we have loved ones on
the ground,” said Fox.
The Georgia Emergency
Management and Homeland
Security Agency is one of the many
organizations that relies on data
from the Hurricane Center to help
prepare citizens on the ground
for potential emergencies in a
timely manner. The agency bases
its decision making and action
items on “h-hours”, or how long it
will be before the storm hits. “The
value that the human forecasting
adds to all the data out there
is tangible,” said Will Lanxton,
GEMA/HS meteorologist. “The
more a c c u r ate t he d at a t he
Hurricane Center is getting, the
better for everyone.” ■