Hurricane hunters facts for kids
Hurricane hunters, also called typhoon hunters or cyclone hunters, are brave aircrews who fly special airplanes right into the middle of powerful storms like tropical cyclones. Their main job is to collect important weather information.
In the United States, two main groups do this: the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NOAA Hurricane Hunters. Other groups, like the Government Flying Service Hong Kong, also fly these missions.
The very first time someone intentionally flew into a hurricane was in 1943. A pilot-trainer flew into a Category 1 hurricane near Galveston, Texas, just because of a bet!
Before satellites were used, military planes regularly flew into storm areas to find tropical cyclones as they formed. Today, satellites help us spot storms early, but only aircraft can fly inside a hurricane to measure its exact barometric pressure and get accurate wind speeds. This information is super important for predicting where a hurricane will go and how strong it will become.
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Who Are the Hurricane Hunters?
The Air Force Reserve's 53rd WRS
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is the only military unit in the world that flies into storms. They are based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Most of their storm-hunting flights start from there. The name "hurricane hunters" was first used for their missions back in 1946.
These Air Force Reserve hurricane hunters fly missions from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Hawaiian Islands. Sometimes, they even fly into typhoons in the Pacific Ocean or gather data during winter storms.
The 53rd WRS uses ten Lockheed WC-130J aircraft. These planes fly directly into hurricanes, often going into the storm's "eye" (the calm center) several times during one mission. They usually fly at altitudes between 500 feet (150 meters) and 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
NOAA Hurricane Hunters
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters are a civilian group. Their crew members, including those from the NOAA Corps, focus on watching, researching, and exploring storms. They use planes packed with special instruments, including Doppler weather radar, to measure storms in both the Atlantic and Pacific.
In June 2017, the NOAA Hunters moved to a new facility at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida. They fly two Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft, which are like flying laboratories. These planes are specially changed to take measurements inside tropical cyclones and winter storms. They also use a G-IV Gulfstream jet, which flies high above 41,000 feet (12,500 kilometers) to measure winds that affect how cyclones move. The computer models that predict hurricane paths and strength mostly use data collected by the G-IV jet, especially from special devices called dropsondes that are dropped into the storm.
Hong Kong's Government Flying Service
Since 2009, the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong (GFS) has been collecting flight data in cooperation with the Hong Kong Observatory. In 2011, they started flying reconnaissance missions to gather weather data for tropical cyclones over the South China Sea. In 2016, they added the dropsonde system, which helps them collect even more weather data on tropical cyclones to better track typhoons.
A Brief History of Hurricane Hunting
Many different types of aircraft have been used to investigate hurricanes over the years. Some older planes include the A-20 Havoc, B-24, B-17, B-25, B-29, WB-29, WB-50, WB-47, and WC-121N. More recently, the WC-130 planes have been used.
The idea of using planes to track hurricanes was first suggested in the early 1930s. A bill to create a "storm patrol" was passed by the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives on June 15, 1936.
The First Intentional Flight (1943)
The 1943 Surprise Hurricane, which hit Houston, Texas, during World War II, was the first time someone purposely flew into a hurricane for weather reasons. It all started with a bet!
That summer, British pilots were learning how to fly using instruments at Bryan Field. When they saw American pilots evacuating their training planes because of the storm, they wondered if the planes were strong enough. The lead instructor, Colonel Joe Duckworth, took one of the trainers and flew it straight into the eye of the storm. He returned safely with his navigator, Lt. Ralph O'Hair. Then, the base's weather officer, Lt. William Jones-Burdick, took the navigator's seat, and Duckworth flew into the storm a second time!
This flight proved that flying into hurricanes for reconnaissance was possible. After that, more flights happened occasionally. In 1946, the nickname "Hurricane Hunters" was first used, and the Air Force and Air Force Reserve have used it ever since.
VW-4 Squadron
The United States Navy also had its own "Hurricane Hunters" squadron called VW-4. They flew several types of aircraft, but the WC-121N "Willy Victor" was the plane most often linked to flying into the "eye of the storm." This squadron operated WC-121s from late 1954 to 1972. VW-4 lost one aircraft and its crew during Hurricane Janet. Another plane was severely damaged in a storm, but it managed to bring its crew home, though it never flew again. From 1973 to 1975, VW-4 used the Lockheed WP-3A Orion.
Hurricane Katrina's Impact
When Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, it caused a lot of damage to Keesler Air Force Base, which is the home of the 53rd WRS. Luckily, the squadron's equipment and people were flying out of Dobbins Air Reserve Base near Atlanta at the time. Even though they lost a lot of equipment, the squadron never missed a single mission for the National Hurricane Center. The 53rd WRS has since returned to Keesler.
Aircraft Losses
Flying into hurricanes is very dangerous, and sadly, some aircraft and their crews have been lost during these missions. Here are a few examples:
- On October 1, 1945, a United States Navy plane (a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer) was lost in a typhoon over the South China Sea. Six of the seven crew members died.
- On October 26, 1952, a United States Air Force plane (a Boeing WB-29 Superfortress) was lost in Super Typhoon Wilma over the Pacific with 10 men on board.
- On December 16, 1953, another United States Navy plane (a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer) was lost during reconnaissance of Super Typhoon Doris. All nine crew members were killed.
- On September 26, 1955, a United States Navy plane (a Lockheed P2V Neptune) disappeared in Hurricane Janet over the Caribbean Sea with nine Navy men and two Canadian journalists aboard.
- On January 15, 1958, a United States Air Force plane (a Boeing WB-50 Superfortress) went down southeast of Guam while flying into Super Typhoon Ophelia with nine men aboard.
- On October 12, 1974, a newly converted Lockheed WC-130 Hercules was sent to investigate Typhoon Bess. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost, and it was believed to be heading into the typhoon's eye. There were no emergency calls, and search teams could not find the aircraft or its crew. All six crew members were listed as killed in action. This WC-130 was the only one ever lost in a storm.
See also
- Storm chasing
