Hurricane Hunters based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, flew directly into Tropical Storm Isaias on Wednesday, roughly 700 miles southwest of Biloxi, to gather data sent in real time to the National Hurricane Center as the storm approached the Gulf Coast.
The crew flew a WC-130J Hercules toward the storm from low altitude, using onboard instruments and dropsondes to measure conditions inside the system that satellite imagery cannot capture on its own. That data feeds the weather models used by forecasters to project a storm’s track and intensity.
What the crew does on the mission
The aircraft is operated by the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the unit formally known as the Hurricane Hunters. During a storm pass, the weather officer on board monitors data collected from instruments mounted on the wings of the aircraft and from dropsondes released into the storm itself. A dropsonde is a small instrument package dropped from the plane that measures pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind as it falls through the atmosphere and transmits the readings back by radio.
Those readings give the National Hurricane Center ground-truth measurements of pressure, wind, temperature, and humidity inside the storm, which are then folded into the forecast models that produce the official advisories, watches, and warnings.
Why the data matters for forecasts
Reconnaissance data is the primary reason forecasters can issue more accurate track and intensity forecasts than they could from satellites alone. Satellites show the cloud shape and general location of a storm, but they cannot return the same fine-grained measurements a dropsonde or a wing-mounted instrument can. Without the Hurricane Hunters flying through the storm, that data simply would not exist, and the models would run on a much weaker picture of what the storm is actually doing.
The storm so far
Crews flying Tropical Storm Isaias reported that the system has been changing shape and getting better organized during their passes. Tropical storm status means sustained winds along the storm are below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, but the storm is still capable of producing heavy rain, gusty winds, and coastal flooding, which is why the data flights continue.
What residents along the Gulf Coast should do
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the National Hurricane Center are the primary sources for official storm updates. Local National Weather Service offices and credentialed local meteorologists translate those updates into specific guidance for individual counties and parishes.
Residents in the Gulf Coast region should follow the latest forecast track and cone from the National Hurricane Center, pay attention to any watches or warnings issued for their county, and prepare a basic readiness kit with water, medication, flashlights, batteries, and important documents in case the forecast track shifts.
FAQ
What is the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron?
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is the Air Force Reserve unit based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, that flies weather reconnaissance missions into tropical storms and hurricanes. It is the U.S. military unit widely referred to as the Hurricane Hunters.
What aircraft does the Hurricane Hunters squadron fly?
The squadron flies the WC-130J Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft fitted with weather instruments on the wings and equipped to release dropsondes into a storm during flight.
What does the Hurricane Hunters data do for the National Hurricane Center?
The data collected during the flights, including dropsonde readings and wing-mounted instrument measurements, is sent to the National Hurricane Center, where it is fed into the weather forecast models used to produce official storm advisories, watches, and warnings.
This article summarizes reporting from wmbfnews.com.