The Hurricane Hunters

  Images courtesy of NOAA and Hurricane Hunters Association 

Hurricane Hunters are a breed of special individuals dedicated to inform the current strength of a tropical cyclone, location and direction over the open ocean. This team of individuals are primarily made up of pilots, navigator, meteorologist, technicians and a special aircraft to fly into the tropical cyclone. There are two teams of hurricane hunters one that fly out from Kessler Air Force Base in Mississippi, the 53d weather reconnaissance squadron using a WC-130J Hercules aircraft to penetrate the tropical cyclone and the other the NOAA Hurricane Hunters divided up into two aircrafts that fly out from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. NOAA uses the Lockheed WP-3D turboprop and the Gulfstream IV-SP jet for high altitude surveillance over and around the tropical cyclone. All of the weather observations taken from around, over and inside the tropical cyclone from the "Hurricane Hunters"are transmitted via satellite to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida inorder to place Tropical Storm and Hurricane watches or warnings if needed also to better predict where the tropical cyclone may go. The information gathered by the "Hurricane Hunters" when flying into a tropical cyclone is essential in keeping the public safe and informed inorder to protect life and property.
See video on "Hurricane Hunters":https://youtu.be/JulJhamN7d8