By Richard Henning
Have you ever wondered how television broadcasters know how powerful a hurricane is? Although meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, have many tools to help predict these storms, the best way to determine the strength of a storm is to fly into the hurricane and measure the winds directly.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates a fleet of aircraft from their base in Tampa, Florida. These aircraft fly a variety of research missions during the year to study the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. Two of these planes (WP-3D Orions) are designed to fly directly into hurricanes while a third plane (Gulfstream G-IV) is used to collect data from around the storm.
The two WP-3D Orions are large, four engine turboprop planes that are similar to the P-3 patrol aircraft that have been flown by the U.S, Navy for the last 50 years. Both Orions have been flying since 1976 and are known by their Muppet nicknames, Kermit (tail number N42RF) and Miss Piggy (tail number N43RF). They fly through the eyewalls of hurricanes, where the strongest winds are found, at altitudes ranging anywhere from 1,500 feet to 12,000 feet above the ocean.
The men and women who fly into the storms are called the NOAA Hurricane Hunters. Typically, a crew of up to 18 people is onboard the plane. This group includes meteorologists, pilots, a navigator, engineers and technicians that operate all of the scientific equipment. The meteorologists onboard the aircraft direct the pilots as they fly through the eyewall and into the eye of the storm.
While flying through the eyewall, the crew releases a special instrument called a dropsonde, which falls by parachute and measures the wind speed just above the ocean surface before it splashes into the water. The dropsonde has a GPS sensor that tracks the dropsonde’s location and a radio transmitter to send information back to meteorologists on the plane. The meteorologists then pass this information via satellite to the National Hurricane Center where it is sent via the Internet to broadcasters around the country.
Once Kermit or Miss Piggy reaches the eye of a hurricane, the crew releases another dropsonde to measure air pressure. Meteorologists use these air pressure measurements to help determine the strength of the hurricane, whether a storm is getting stronger or weaker and how quickly the pressure is changing.
The Gulfstream G-IV, nicknamed Gonzo, flies at up to 45,000 feet to collect data from the top portions of the hurricane. This jet is operated by a crew of up to 10 people. The crew sometimes releases more than 30 dropsondes on a single flight to measure the environment around the hurricane to help forecasters determine where the storm will go.
So, what is it like to fly into a hurricane? Since the eyewall of a hurricane has very strong winds that go up, down and in different directions, it’s a wild ride full of turbulence and makes the flight seem a lot like a roller coaster. But the Hurricane Hunters know that the data they collect will help forecasters better predict the path of these potentially devastating storms and protect the lives of others.
Richard Henning is a Meteorologist and the Flight Director at NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center.
