The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters flew their last mission into Hurricane Milton Oct. 9, their eighth mission into the storm since Oct. 6, collecting data to assist National Hurricane Center forecasters.
The storm formed from an area of low pressure in the western Gulf of Mexico, rapidly strengthening from a tropical storm, Oct. 5 to a Category 5 hurricane, 24 hours later.
Milton made landfall Oct. 9, near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 and weakened to a Category 1 as it made its way across the state, according to the NHC. Milton, the third hurricane to hit Florida this year, had wind gusts of 100 mph recorded near Tampa, and knocked out the power for more than three million people.
Milton is part of a trend of rapid intensification in hurricanes such as Helene two weeks ago, the fourth deadliest storm to make landfall in the United States since 1950, and others such as Harvey, Irma, Maria, Michael, Ida, Ian and Idalia in past years. According to the NHC, "rapid intensification" is when the maximum sustained winds in a tropical cyclone increase at least 30 knots (34.5 mph) in 24 hours.
With less time to prepare for hurricanes such as Milton and Helene, advance preparation is key and the data the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron provides to NHC is vital, potentially saving lives and property, said Lt. Col. Brad Boudreaux, 53rd WRS pilot.
Boudreaux was the pilot in command for the mission into Milton, Oct. 8, that departed from Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. During his mission, the hurricane re-intensified from a Category 4 to a Category 5, which made his first pass through the eyewall "a rough ride," he said.
"They key to everything we do here is to narrow the cone of uncertainty," Boudreaux said, explaining this is the most probable track of a storm. "Our job is to provide weather information to the National Hurricane Center so that they can provide the best forecast so people can prepare."
While satellites provide information about a storm, they do not collect detailed observations, according to NHC. To get this information, NHC tasks the U.S. Air Force Reserve and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunter aircraft to fly through the storm to collect data to improve forecasts and coordinate necessary watches and warnings for impacted communities.
During a tropical storm or hurricane, 53rd WRS aircrews fly a WC-130J Super Hercules through the eye of a storm at about 10,000 feet four to six times. During each pass through the eye, crews release dropsondes, which collects temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity and barometric pressure data. The crew also collects surface wind speed and flight-level data. This information is transmitted to the NHC to assist them with their storm warnings and hurricane forecast models in the Atlantic, Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
With their fleet of 10 WC-130Js, the 53rd WRS, works in conjunction with NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center. They use two types of aircraft for their missions: the WP-3D Orion and the Gulfstream GIV-SP. NOAA uses the WP-3D similarly to how the 53rd WRS uses the WC-130J, and the Gulfstream flies as high as 45,000 feet to collect data in the upper atmosphere surrounding developing hurricanes. The information they gather is used for track forecasting and research purposes.
"We provide a lot of effort to collect this data for NHC so they can provide accurate forecasts to give the public the most advanced warnings so they can prepare and get their families to safety as appropriate," Boudreaux said. "It's best for communities to prepare in advance for extreme weather, water and climate events."
