NOAA Raising Hurricane Awareness
In an effort to raise public awareness of the Atlantic hurricane
threat, NOAA National Hurricane Center Director Bill Proenza and
Senior Hurricane Specialist Lixion Avila, Ph.D. will take
"Hurricane Hunter" Hercules on a six-day, six-city tour of the
Caribbean region.
As part of a joint US Air Force and NOAA National Weather
Service, the public, school groups and media are invited to tour
the aircraft and speak with Proenza, Avila and the "Hurricane
Hunter" crew. The tour includes Mexico, Grand Cayman Island,
Dominican Republic, St. Croix and Puerto Rico and will begin April
16.
"Even though we did not have a lot
of activity last year, we remain in an active hurricane cycle and
need to continue our preparation and planning efforts," said
Proenza. "The focus of this tour is protecting communities through
preparedness and awareness."
The "Hurricane Hunters" of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance
Squadron, use the latest Air Force Reserve WC-130J aircraft that
was placed into operation in 2005. The team gathers hurricane
position and intensity data by flying directly into the storm then
relaying vital information from the core of the hurricane to
hurricane forecasters.
The WC-130 Hercules is a medium-range aircraft used for weather
reconnaissance by the Air Force Reserve that is capable of more
than 12 hours of sustained flight. To help it achieve this feat, it
is equipped with two external 1,400-gallon fuel tanks as well as an
internal 1,800-gallon fuel tank.
The Herculean team effort it takes to forecast and respond to a
hurricane also includes weather observations from World
Meteorological Organization countries, satellites, computer models,
local weather forecast offices and dedicated meteorologists,
according to NOAA.
"When one of these storms threatens landfall in this region, our
Citizen Airmen are already gathering and providing the critical
data used by the National Hurricane Center to inform local
officials, civic leaders and emergency managers," said Brig. Gen.
Richard Moss, commander of the 403rd Wing.
"Hurricane Hunters" will be adding a new piece of equipment this
hurricane season: a Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer. This
new generation airborne remote sensing instrument is designed for
operational surface wind estimation in hurricanes. The SFMR is
expected to provide even more data to forecasters at the NOAA
National Hurricane Center to help improve the analysis of surface
intensity and structure of the storm.
"Once the forecast is issued, people must heed the warnings of
their local government officials," said Avila. "The time to prepare
for a hurricane is now. Once the storm is bearing down, it is too
late."