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Describe the instruments the hurricane hunters use to collect data on a hurricane.

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What symbol is used to describe the flight pattern?

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Which of the four variables shown in the graph is constantly increasing?

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The hurricane hunters are a group of men and women in the United States Air Force Reserve

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who fly these airplanes into hurricanes to measure the storms.

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The data we collect are given to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida,

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who need to know exactly where the hurricane is right now, how strong it is, and what the winds are like.

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But, I mean, why do you have to fly into the storm? Aren't satellite images enough?

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The National Hurricane Center can get very good estimates of hurricanes from satellite,

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but sometimes the hurricanes don't follow the book.

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Sometimes it may be difficult to find the eye or center on the satellite picture,

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or they may be stronger or weaker than they appear on satellite. That's where we come in.

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The more meteorologists know what the hurricane is doing right now,

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the better they'll be able to forecast what it will do in the future.

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In fact, the measurements collected by the hurricane hunters makes forecasts about 25% more accurate

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than just using satellite estimates alone.

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This makes a huge difference, especially when you're trying to evacuate people on the coast and save lives.

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Okay, Val, so how do you measure a hurricane?

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Well, Jennifer, we have weather sensors mounted around the nose of our WC-130 aircraft

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and two weather stations inside. Let me show you.

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Great.

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We collect data from different altitudes or heights along our flight path.

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In addition to these weather sensors, we also draw up another weather instrument with a parachute

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that collects data from other altitudes as it falls through the atmosphere.

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All of these instruments continuously measure temperature, moisture, air pressure, and winds.

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The data we collect are immediately sent to the National Hurricane Center.

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I get it, but how do you know where to fly into a hurricane?

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Good question. First, the National Hurricane Center calls us

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and gives us the hurricane's forecasted latitude and longitude.

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The navigator plots the hurricane's position on a chart,

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then plots our flight path from Biloxi to the storm.

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The navigator and pilot then discuss the pattern to fly in the storm.

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You see, to make accurate measurements, we fly a pattern that looks like an X.

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We start in one corner of the hurricane, then fly to the center of the X,

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which is the eye, or center of the hurricane.

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Then we fly out at least 105 miles on each leg of the X, each time coming back to the eye.

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As we fly this pattern, we collect data on temperature, moisture, air pressure, and wind,

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and see how they change.

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Two of the most important elements we measure are air pressure and wind.

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Let's look at this graph of air pressure and wind that we collected in a hurricane that we flew.

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Okay, let me see if I can interpret it.

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The horizontal axis begins at the center of the eye of the hurricane.

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Then we have the eye wall here, and way out here we have the outer edge.

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This vertical axis indicates an increase in intensity.

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You're right. Now what do you notice about the air pressure and wind in the eye of the hurricane?

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Hmm, let's see.

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The intensity of the air pressure and wind is low at the center of the eye of the hurricane,

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but it begins to increase as you get close to the eye wall.

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That's right, and the lower the air pressure, the stronger the hurricane.

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That's important information to know.

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Now let's look at the air pressure and wind at the eye wall.

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What do you notice?

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Wow, the wind really increased in intensity at the eye wall, and the air pressure did too.

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You're right, and the air pressure continues to increase as you get to the outer edges of the hurricane.

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But if you notice, the wind is at its strongest at the eye wall.

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But this is just a graph of air pressure and wind.

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You also said that you collect data on temperature and moisture.

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What would happen if we added that data to this graph?

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Well, let's take a look.

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Check it out.

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The intensity of the temperature is really high in the eye of the hurricane.

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And the moisture?

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Well, it's at its lowest.

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This sure is a lot of information, Valerie.

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It is, and you know what?

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A long time ago, weather geeks did not have this volume of information.

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They would simply look at a hurricane, use their memory, and say,

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hmm, this reminds me of Hurricane Baker 26 years ago.

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They would then base their forecast for the current hurricane on what Hurricane Baker did way back then.

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Today, the National Hurricane Center uses the data we collect from our flight

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to feed their computer-generated models, or simulations, of hurricanes.

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These computer-generated models forecast how conditions change in a hurricane over time.

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Knowing what the storm is doing right now helps the National Hurricane Center

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to predict the future path and intensity of the storm.

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From this information, hurricane watches and warnings are sent out to people along the coast.

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When people are evacuated to safer areas because of an impending hurricane,

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then the mission of hurricane hunters contributes to saving lives.