Hurricane hunter makes awareness tour
They produce an important stream of data that, combined with satellite imagery and ground based radar, can pinpoint the location of a hurricane, and help provide a better forecast of where it will go. Today, I got the opportunity to meet the plane and crew who instead of fleeing from hurricanes…fly into them.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Measuring a hundred feet in length and just over a hundred and thirty feet from wing tip to wing tip, this is a WC-130, the “Hercules” of the US Air Force. The aircraft’s durability, a seventy thousand gallon fuel tank and highly specialised weather equipment enable it to fly into the most powerful hurricanes for several hours to record vital information on the strength and location of hurricanes and tropical storms. According to officials at the National Meteorological Service in Belize, the Hurricane Hunter is here as part of a public awareness campaign in five hurricane prone Central American and Caribbean countries.
Justin Hulse, Deputy Chief Meteorologist
“I’m always thinking about the damage its going to do and that it is my responsibility to less the loss of life and the loss of property. And that’s always in my mind, that I want to inform the people as quickly enough so they can react to minimise any kind of disastrous effect in Belize; that always bothers me.”
The relationship between Belizean weather experts and the meteorologists from the National Hurricane Center in Miami has aided tremendously in tracking the path of hurricanes and preparing for their arrival. The two teams use their instruments and data gathered by hurricane hunters like the Hercules to pinpoint the storm’s position. It’s rough and tumble science that demands the use of high technology and strong stomachs. One of the key tools is a drop sonde.
Ed Scherzer, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Air Force
“After the sonde gets initialised by my computer, it reads all the parameters of the sonde to make sure it’s working properly. We load it into our launch tube here and then with the click of a button on the computer, it launches out of the airplane.”
Dr. Max Mayfield, Director, U.S. Nat’l Hurricane Centre
“it sends back pressure, temperature, humidity and wind. It drops about ten meters per second and we get a report every half a second. I mean there’s so much information you can’t even begin to look at it, but if you get that information into the computer module, it helps us forecast the hurricane.”
Ed Scherzer
“The entire box of all computer equipment you see there is actually on springs because it does shake. And so since its just sensitive equipment, weather sensitive equipment you want to be able to fluctuate with the plane and not actually jar loose during the ride. I’m the only crewmember that has to get out of his seat during the flight to load up the sonde into the launch tube and then quickly get back into my seat. So that can be pretty hairy sometimes.”
Between the two teams, a three-day forecast can be estimated every six hours, allowing forecasters in different countries and emergency management organisations to advise their citizens of possible adverse weather ahead.
The 2001 Hurricane Season saw the development of nine hurricanes with two, Iris and Michelle, making landfall in Belize and Cuba respectively. While both storms cost millions in damages, Iris killed twenty, while Michelle claimed seventeen lives in Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua and Jamaica. Already, experts predict that this season will again produce an above average number of storms. Dr. Mayfield is advising Belizeans to be prepared for anything.
Dr. Max Mayfield
“It’s not all about numbers. The only thing that really counts is where they make landfall and how strong they are at landfall. If you have one Keith over Belize City, that’s not good. So if you live in Belize, you need to be prepared no matter what.”
Beginning in June, the Hurricane Hunters will be ready to take to the skies, gathering information from the turbulent eyes of the deadly storms. But for this crew, the most important mission is what they are doing now: educating those vulnerable about hurricanes, thus limiting the devastation to life and property.
The Hurricane Hunters form part of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command. This particular crew belongs to the four hundred and third air wing operating out of Keesler Air Force base in Biloxi, Mississippi. The plane, having visited Merida on Monday, leaves Belize tomorrow to conduct similar operations in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
