Hurricane Hunters track down Alberto

Air Force reservists from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s “Hurricane Hunters” began flying the year’s first storm missions June 10 into Tropical Storm Alberto.

The Hurricane Hunters found that the center of the cyclone had abruptly reformed near the deep convection and was relocated some 60 nautical miles to the northeast of its previously estimated position during a flight June 12.

The Hurricane Hunters are flying the new WC-130J model, with dual heads-up displays for pilots and technological advancements such as improved weather radar. These features significantly improve the situational awareness of the crew.

“The basic procedures we use to fly storms have not changed over the years as it is a tried and true method,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Talbot, chief aerial reconnaissance weather officer.

“However the WC-130J has brought capabilities we did not have in the past," the colonel said. "The crews’ awareness of what’s going on around them has significantly improved, and we will soon have a new instrument which remotely measures surface winds called the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer.”

The radiometer will be tested in November and is expected to be approved for operational use next season. This will allow continuous and direct measurement of the winds on the ocean surface and provide the National Hurricane Center with much higher resolution data about storms at lower levels, where people and property are impacted.

Despite the dramatic blow last year from Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Hunters' own home base and communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing never missed a mission. In 2005, they flew more than 1,500 hours into storms beginning in mid-May with Hurricane Adrian in the Pacific and finally ending in early December flying missions into Hurricane Epsilon.

The National Hurricane Center has predicted 13 to 16 named storms this year, with eight to 10 becoming hurricanes. Four to six of them could become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher with winds of at least 111 mph.

(Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service)