Hurricane Hunters
Encyclopedia
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s in the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Northeastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
data in and around those storms. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in this mission. Before artificial satellites were used to find storms, the military units flew routine weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
tracks to detect formation of tropical cyclones. Although satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
data has revolutionized weather forecast
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
ers' ability to detect early signs of tropical cyclones before they form, there are still many important tasks they are not suited for. Satellites cannot determine the interior barometric pressure of a hurricane, nor provide accurate wind speed information.
Units that commonly called part of the Hurricane Hunters are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron , also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force...
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
's Hurricane Hunters
NOAA Hurricane Hunters
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters work under the Aircraft Operations Center , located on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Aircraft Operations Center is under the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations , which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . NOAA is part...
.
Reasons for use
Before artificial satellites were used to find storms, military units flew routine weather reconnaissance tracks to detect formation of tropical cycloneTropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s. While satellites can now perform this part of the mission, they cannot directly measure the weather data inside these storms. Satellites cannot determine the interior barometric pressure of a hurricane, nor provide accurate wind speed information. These data are needed to accurately predict hurricane development and movement.
The U.S. Navy's VW-4 / WEARECORON FOUR Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Four, "Hurricane Hunters" was the first U.S. Navy squadron dedicated to weather reconnaissance. They flew several different types aircraft, but the WC-121-N "Willy Victor"
EC-121 Warning Star
The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a United States Navy and United States Air Force airborne early warning radar surveillance aircraft. A military version of the Lockheed Constellation, it was designed to serve as an airborne early warning system to supplement the Distant Early Warning Line,...
was the aircraft most often associated with flying into the "Eye of the Storm..." VW-4 lost one aircraft and crew in a Hurricane Penetration, and another to severe damages in a storm, but the mortally damaged Willy Victor (MH-1) brought her crew home, though she never flew again.
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron , also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force...
, also known as the "Hurricane Hunters", is a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
of aircraft, based in Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, that flies missions into hurricanes and weather systems for research purposes and observation. The term "hurricane hunters" was first applied to its missions in 1946.
Hurricane trackers flies instrumented Lockheed WC-130J aircraft. The area of responsibility for the Hurricane Hunters is midway through the Atlantic Ocean to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane trackers have also been tasked to fly into typhoons in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
on occasion, as well as gather data in winter storms.
The Hurricane trackers of the Air Force Reserve are distinct from the NOAA Hurricane Hunters
NOAA Hurricane Hunters
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters work under the Aircraft Operations Center , located on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Aircraft Operations Center is under the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations , which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . NOAA is part...
, based at the Aircraft Operations Center
Aircraft Operations Center
The Aircraft Operations Center is the main base for the approximately 15 aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government.It is the home base of the NOAA Hurricane Hunters....
at MacDill AFB, in Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
using WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft for this mission. The NOAA Hurricane trackers mainly perform surveillance, research, and reconnaissance with highly instrumented aircraft including airborne Doppler weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
measurements in both Atlantic and Pacific storms.
Aircraft
The Lockheed WC-130J aircraft is a venerable workhorse. It flies directly into the hurricane, typically penetrating the hurricane's eye several times per mission at altitudes between 500 feet (152.4 m) and 10000 feet (3,048 m). The 53rd WRS Hurricane Hunters operate ten WC-130J aircraft for weather reconnaissance.The Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft flown by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters
NOAA Hurricane Hunters
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters work under the Aircraft Operations Center , located on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Aircraft Operations Center is under the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations , which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . NOAA is part...
are heavily instrumented flying laboratories specifically modified to take atmospheric and radar measurements within tropical cyclones and winter storms.
The NOAA G-IV Gulfstream high altitude jet conducts hurricane surveillance flying upwards of 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) each flight to document upper and lower level winds that affect the movement of tropical cyclones. The hurricane models (computer models predicting hurricane tracks and intensity) mainly utilize NOAA G-IV dropwindsonde data that is collected both day and night in storms affecting the United States.
Other aircraft have been used to investigate hurricanes, including an instrumented Lockheed U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
that was flown in Hurricane Ginny
Hurricane Ginny
Hurricane Ginny in the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season was the latest Atlantic hurricane on record to affect the U.S. state of Maine. It developed on October 16 over the Bahamas, although it was not initially a fully tropical cyclone. As it moved to the north and later northwest, Ginny...
during the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season
1963 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1963 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average Atlantic hurricane season, with nine named storms. Although the season officially began on June 1, the first storm did not form until nearly a month later. Hurricane Cindy made landfall in Texas before dissipating in the southern portion of the...
.
Past aircraft used were the A-20 Havoc, 1944; B-24, 1944–1945; B-17, 1945–1947; B-25, 1946–1947; B-29, 1946–1947. WB-29, 1951–1956; WB-50
B-50 Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for...
, 1956–1963; WB-47, 1963–1969; WC-121N 1954-1973; WC-130A,B,E,H, 1965-2005.
Current deployment
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron , also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force...
is currently based at Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the majority of all of the reconnaissance flights are based from Keesler. The United States Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters are the only operational military weather reconnaissance unit in the world.
Civilian and NOAA Corps
NOAA Corps
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps is one of seven federal uniformed services of the United States, which operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , a scientific agency within the Department of Commerce...
crew members of The NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
Hurricane Hunters
NOAA Hurricane Hunters
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters work under the Aircraft Operations Center , located on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Aircraft Operations Center is under the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations , which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . NOAA is part...
, a non-military organization based at MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, are also tasked to support hurricane reconnaissance flights. Part of the US Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
, the organization maintains a fleet of three hurricane aircraft which are primarily used for hurricane research and hurricane surveillance missions.
Hurricane Katrina
The landfall of Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
on 29 August 2005 caused devastating damage to Keesler Air Force Base, home base of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. The equipment and personnel of the squadron were flying out of Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States air reserve base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about northwest of Atlanta. It was named in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins, a World War II C-47 pilot who died near Sicily...
near Atlanta. Despite heavy losses, the squadron never missed a tasked mission from the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
. The 53rd has since returned to Keesler and is now once again flying weather reconnaissance missions from the base.
History
Storm patrol bill of 1936
The idea of aircraft reconnaissance of hurricane storm trackers was put forth by Captain W. L. Farnsworth of the Galveston Commercial Association in the early 1930s. Supported by the United States Weather Bureau, the "storm patrol bill" passed both the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
on June 15, 1936.
1943 Surprise Hurricane
The 1943 Surprise Hurricane1943 Surprise Hurricane
The 1943 Surprise Hurricane struck the Houston, Texas area on July 27, 1943. While not a major hurricane, the storm was described as the worst since the 1915 hurricane, which tested the newly constructed seawall at Galveston.-Meteorological history:...
, which struck Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, marked the first intentional meteorological flight into a hurricane. It started with a bet.
That summer, British pilots were being trained in instrument flying at Bryan Field. When they saw that the Americans were evacuating their AT-6 Texan
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
trainers in the face of the storm, they began questioning the construction of the aircraft. Lead instructor Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Joe Duckworth
Joseph Duckworth
Joseph B. Duckworth was a colonel in the United States Air Force, and was regarded as the "father" of modern instrument flight...
took one of the trainers out, and flew it straight into the eye of the storm. After he returned safely with navigator
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
Lt.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Ralph O'Hair, the base's weather officer, Lt. William Jones-Burdick, took over the navigator's seat and Duckworth flew into the storm a second time.
This flight showed that hurricane reconnaissance flights were possible, and further flights continued on irregularly. In 1946, the moniker "Hurricane Hunters" was first used, and the Air Force and now Air Force Reserve have used it ever since.
Swan 38
In 1974, a newly converted WC-130 (serial number 65-0965) was transferred to the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It was inactivated on 30 September 1987.-History:...
, the "Typhoon Chasers", at Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
on Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. The aircraft was sent to investigate Typhoon Bess
Typhoon Bess (1974)
Typhoon Bess was the twenty-third tropical storm and the ninth typhoon of the 1974 Pacific typhoon season...
. The crew departed Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with the callsign "Swan 38".
Radio contact with the aircraft was lost on 12 October 1974, apparently as the aircraft was heading into the typhoon's eye to make a second position fix. There were no radio transmissions indicating an emergency on board, and search teams could not locate the aircraft or its crew. All six crew members were listed as killed in action.
Swan 38 is one of very few of Hurricane Hunter flights lost, and the only WC-130 lost in a storm.
See also
- Tropical cycloneTropical cycloneA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
External links
- The NOAA Hurricane Hunters Flight Science Homepage
- Hunting Hurricane Hugo Flight of NOAA42
- Navy Hurricane Hunters Home Page
- 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron homepage
- 403rd Wing Homepage
- Air Weather Reconnaissance Association homepage
- ASN Accident description 13 OCT 1974 Lockheed WC-130H Hercules 65-0965
- NHC Reconnaissance data archive
- The NOAA Aircraft Operations Center homepage
- VW-1 All Hands Alumni Association homepage
- Whiskey Charlie
- Why and how people fly into hurricanes - USA Today - sidebar, "Fatal flights"