Hurricane Hunters: Eyes on the Eyes

November 12, 2009 — There’s turbulence, and then there’s turbulence. Just ask the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters,” an Air Force Reserve squadron and part of the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. They fly into the eyes of hurricanes to collect data and increase the accuracy of the National Hurricane Center forecast by 30 percent. To most, Hurricane Ida is just a memory now that saw heavy rains and high winds, but relatively small property damage. The low property damage, in part, can be attributed to the “Hurricane Hunters,” which flew into Ida repeatedly to collect data to help determine if the storm was gaining strength as it passed the Yucatan Peninsula earlier this week.   "Directly measuring the conditions within the storm provides emergency managers with the best information possible. With that information in hand, it allows them to know where evacuations should occur, what type of impact can be expected and most importantly helps save lives by informing the public of what to expect," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Talbot, chief aerial reconnaissance weather officer. Want to know what it’s like to fly into the eye of a hurricane? They don’t take passengers along on those trips, but you can take a cyber flight by clicking here. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes — since 1944. They fly the Lockheed Martin WC-130J to penetrate tropical storms. These aircraft are not reinforced in any way. In fact the only differences between a WC-130J and a C-130J is the addition of two external fuel tanks (giving them longer range), a radiometer pod on the left wing and the two addition crew pallets in the cargo bay. Updates on the Hurricane Hunters can be found on their Facebook fan page or at http://twitter.com/403PA.

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" are an Air Force Reserve squadron and part of the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett The plane passes through the eye of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo credit: hurricanehunters.com Dropping buoys ahead of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Photo credit: hurricanehunters.com

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