The modern world has introduced everyone to satellites to help people know of the existence of a tropical cyclone immediately.  Meteorologists work around the clock to constantly monitor storm systems as they move, issuing hurricane watches and warnings with adequate time for the public to prepare.  Meteorologists and the public also rely on Hurricane Hunters to learn more about the hurricane.  They do this by flying aircraft equipped with weather instruments straight into the middle of these powerful storms. 

Hurricane Hunters are operated by both the Air Force Reserve, which is based at Keeler Air Force Base in Mississippi and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The two have a long history, making their first flights back in 1944.  Before satellites were put in space, these planes were the best source of information about a hurricane’s position and intensity.  When a hurricane Hunter’s plane is set to fly into a tropical storm or hurricane, it is ready for a very long mission.  Typically, one plane will be in the air for at least eleven hours. 

Hurricane Hunters take to the sky to collect data from areas where it is impractical or impossible to have ground observation stations, or where weather satellites cannot provide complete information.  Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30 and the Hurricane Hunters provide surveillance of tropical disturbances and hurricanes in the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.  They may also fly missions for the Central Pacific Hurricane Center located in Honolulu, Hawaii.  From November 1 through April 15, the Hurricane Hunter unit also flies winter missions off of both coasts of the United States supporting the National Center for Environmental Prediction.  These missions are typically just as challenging as hurricane missions as they are dealing with lightning, turbulence, and icing. 

Accurate forecasting by Hurricane Hunters can save lives as well as property.  A typical hurricane warning can cost an estimated $195 million in preparation, evacuation, and lost commerce.  By narrowing the warning area, Hurricane Hunters are able to lend greater credibility to forecasts and enable a more controlled and limited coastal evacuation.  As coastal populations continue to grow, evacuation decisions must be made earlier.  Some areas need more than 48 hours to clear in advance of a major hurricane.  The Hurricane Hunters have ten WC-130H Hercules aircraft, all equipped with computerized meteorological data gathering equipment to cover up to five missions per day.  There are also five new WC-130J Aircraft which is being used for “synoptic tracks.”  These involve flying at a higher altitude around the storm to map out the steering winds, as well as some testing in the storms. 

Once the weather conditions are favorable for hurricane development, the Hurricane Hunters move into action.  Hurricanes are composed of dense thunderstorms with severe turbulence and heavy rainfall.  A solid ring of thunderstorms, called the eye wall, surrounds the eye.  This is where the strongest winds and rain are commonly found.  At times the clouds and rain are so thick that the aircraft’s wing tips are barely visible.  The eye is comparatively calm and cloud free compared to the eye wall.  As the storm strengthens, the aircraft enters the area at 5,000 to 10,000 feet, choosing higher altitudes as the storm becomes more severe.  The tops of the storm clouds may reach 50,000 feet, so the aircraft does not fly over the storm, but right through the heaviest of the weather to collect the most valuable information from the eye.  The Hurricane Hunters’ missions have lead to new discoveries about eye wall structure that has helped the storm center in Miami upgrade its hurricane models. 

 

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