Latest news with #HurricaneHunters
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Watch issued along Southeast coastline as Tropical Depression Three expected to become Chantal
The National Hurricane Center says a broad area of low pressure off the Southeastern coast has officially been designated Tropical Depression Three, which could produce flooding rains along the Carolinas during the next few days. The system, previously designated as Invest 92L, is expected to bring tropical downpours to the Southeast Atlantic coast regardless of how strong it becomes. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for some coastal communities in South Carolina, ahead of the system's impacts, which is expected to become Chantal over the next 24 hours. The NHC has issued alerts from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Little River Inlet, South Carolina, with a landfall anticipated on Hurricane Hunters Fly Into World's Worst Weather. See Which Storm Was The Bumpiest Pockets of 5-plus-inch rainfall have already occurred across Florida and coastal Georgia and the Carolinas. Significant additional rainfall is expected into next week, especially in eastern North Carolina. Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated the system on Friday and determined it had gained enough organization to be classified as a tropical depression. Due to the system's limited time over water, the cyclone is not expected to strengthen more than a minimal tropical storm with winds of between 40-50 mph. Once landfall occurs, the system is only expected to slowly decay while over the Carolinas. The Tropical Storm Watch does include Charleston, Georgetown and Myrtle Beach and will likely be upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning as the event gets closer in time. Chantal would be the third named storm of the season, which usually doesn't happen until early August. "Interests elsewhere along the southeast coast of the United States should monitor the progress of this system. Additional warnings and watches will likely be required for portions of this area later tonight and Saturday," the NHC article source: Tropical Storm Watch issued along Southeast coastline as Tropical Depression Three expected to become Chantal
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
A storm is brewing in the Atlantic and could be the first to impact the US this season
Forecasters are watching a storm brewing in the Atlantic this week - just two days into the start of this year's hurricane season. A non-tropical area of low pressure is forecast to form near the southeastern U.S. coast over the course of the next couple of days. 'The low could gradually acquire subtropical or tropical characteristics later this week if it remains offshore,' the National Hurricane Center cautioned in a post on the social media platform X. Hurricane Hunters have tentatively scheduled a reconnaissance flight to investigate the system on Thursday. Yet, as of right now, environmental conditions appear only marginally conducive for the low to develop some subtropical or tropical characteristics later this week, if it forms or moves offshore. 'As the disturbance tracks north-northeast, it has a 10 percent chance of developing tropical characteristics if the circulation can remain over the Atlantic,' according to WXII 12. It is expected to shift east of North Carolina and out over the ocean by late Friday or Saturday. If it forms, it could be the first tropical storm to hit the U.S. this season. The first named storm will be called Andrea. Last year, the first storm was Alberto, which formed on June 19 and flooded the coastal community of Surfside Beach, Texas. It was soon followed by Category 5 Hurricane Beryl: the earliest-forming Category 5 on record in the Atlantic. Powered by climate change-charged ocean waters, this hurricane season is expected to be above average, according to officials. "In terms of tropical development of this feature along the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast, water temperatures right along the coast are still below that critical 80-degree Fahrenheit threshold," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a statement. "Waters are warmer over the Gulf stream, but that is well off the coast at this time. So if this can try to develop later this week, it would probably be over that Gulf Stream and not along the immediate coast." Regardless, there may be some impacts for cities along the East Coast, including poor beach conditions and flash flooding due to heavy downpours. AccuWeather says it has also identified a low-risk zone for tropical development potential in the western Caribbean and eastern Gulf starting next week. "This [area] will be moving slowly through the zone from the western Caribbean and eastern Gulf around the same time when a surge of moisture may develop," AccuWeather Tropical Meteorologist Alex Duffus said. "For these reasons and a drop in disruptive winds in the region, we are issuing a chance for tropical development."
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Remembering Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of Hurricane Hunter
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Lt. Col. Sean Cross, Chief of Safety for the 403rd Wing of the Hurricane Hunters is one of the few pilots who has been inside Hurricane Katrina. Keesler Airforce Base in Biloxi, Mississippi is the headquarters for the Hurricane Hunters but Cross was born and raised in South Louisiana. He remembers Hurricane Katrina intimately, saying 'Katrina is like this huge measurement in time. When you take off out of here and fly a storm that is going to make landfall where you live, it does something to you. You don't know if you are going to come home to anything being left. I was like, y'all don't understand what is coming this way in the next 36 hours. This is going to be devastating and it's going to change the coast forever… and it did!' Impact of coastal erosion through Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Project Hurricane Katrina was devasting, and it's effects continue to today. It changed the way we all respond to disasters across the country and how we premeditate natural disasters. 'I flew Katrina and we landed early that morning and went to the house. We had been up all night long and woke up around three that afternoon. I saw a boat in a second-floor bedroom sitting there. I saw a car buried in the front yard because the ground was so soft. The entire hood was down in the mud. We saw a piano in a tree that had been moved around because of the storm surge. There were sheets and blankets everywhere. The worst was when we saw an ambulance loading up the deceased,' Cross said The Hurricane Hunters fly hundreds of mission each storm season. They gather information to track the center of the storm, where each slight shift in the eye of the storm, changes the cone of uncertainty for miles. With each slight shift, the lives of millions on the ground are effected. One of the things that Cross says keeps him safe, is a Ziploc bag full of religious mementos from his grandmother. He has had that bag since his early days of military training. 'I'm closing in on the end of my career. I'm finishing up my 36th year right now. What has kept me involved in this all the time, is the strong desire to help people, fly the mission and be part of the Air Force. The only way to pinpoint the lowest center of pressure inside a hurricane is to put a manned aircraft in it. Right in the belly of the beast,' explained Halloween's annual kick-off event killed by 'supply chain issues' Friday afternoon into evening sees Severe Weather potential Advocates, shelters demand ouster of immigration director in Tijuana Glaciers in Mexico melting away, extinction feared White House puts out list of 500 'sanctuary jurisdictions' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Inside the Storm: Hurricane Hunters save lives from the sky
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – When a hurricane threatens the coast, most people board up, pack up, and head inland, but for a small but mighty team based in Lakeland, evacuation isn't part of the plan because their job is to fly directly into the eye of the storm. They are NOAA's Hurricane Hunters, a brave crew of pilots, scientists, engineers, and flight directors who risk their lives to gather the data that helps meteorologists predict where hurricanes will go and how powerful they'll be when they arrive. Surviving the Storm: A look back at 2024's wild hurricane season 'We just hit a pocket of lightning, and the whole interior of the aircraft lit up,' said NOAA pilot Andrew Reves, describing one of many intense flights. 'You can hear the radios pop.' Flying into a hurricane takes an entire crew. It is tightly coordinated and scientifically essential. Each flight delivers real-time data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami — data that satellites alone can't provide. 'A lot of times, people ask if we're scared when we do this,' said Captain Nate Kahn, Commanding Officer at NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center. 'Absolutely. But in the moment, you're so focused, so trained, you're not afraid.' Using two 50-year-old WP-3D Orion turboprop planes nicknamed Kermit and Miss Piggy, the Hurricane Hunters slice through intense rain bands. Despite their age, the aircraft haven't had major structural upgrades — they're designed to ride the storm, not fight it. 'We allow the storm to push us up and push us down,' Kahn explained. 'If we tried to maintain a set altitude, the storm would break the airplane.' These planes often experience rapid vertical drops — sometimes 1,500 feet or more — in mere seconds, making each flight feel more like a rollercoaster than a routine operation. But it's what's inside that makes the difference: an array of sensors and instruments that collect detailed measurements of wind speed, barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity. 'It's sort of like taking a CAT scan of the storm,' said aerospace engineer Nick Underwood. 'All that data gets pushed together to give us a clear picture of how the storm is developing.' One of the most critical tools is the dropsonde — a small device launched at specific points throughout the storm that transmits data as it falls. When combined with radar and other instruments, these tools provide the 3D model forecasters rely on. 'We're constantly communicating with the ground and making sure we're collecting the data that matters,' flight director Jon Zawislak said. 'That all goes into the models.' While new technology is beginning to play a role — like autonomous drones that can fly within 100 feet of the ocean's surface — it's still the Hurricane Hunters who provide the highest-quality, in-storm data. 'We're using uncrewed systems to collect data we couldn't get any other way,' said Capt. Bill Mowitt, Director of NOAA's Uncrewed Operations Center. 'It's already showing us ways we can improve our models.' For many of these scientists, the mission is personal. Some call Florida home — meaning they often fly into storms threatening their own neighborhoods. 'We were the crew on the final mission before Hurricane Milton made landfall,' Zawislak said. 'We could see the effects on Tampa Bay and St. Pete. We were flying right over it.' And as hurricane season approaches, these men and women have one message for the people on the ground: 'Be prepared. That's what makes all of this worth it.' From the heart of the storm to our local forecast, the data collected by the Hurricane Hunters is crucial for keeping communities safe. WFLA's 'Surviving the Storm' Hurricane special is airing on May 31 at 7 p.m. You can watch it at 7 p.m. on air on WFLA News Channel 8 or through the Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New NOAA Hurricane Season Outlook Issued: More Active Than Average Season Expected
Confidence is growing that a more active than average Atlantic hurricane season is about to begin in just over a week. NOAA is now forecasting a 6-in-10 chance of an above-average hurricane season. By The Numbers: NOAA expects 13 to 19 storms to form in 2025, six to 10 of which will become hurricanes and three to five of which will reach Category 3 status or stronger, according to the outlook released Thursday. These ranges are on the high side of the 30-year average for both hurricanes and storms. The range for the number of hurricanes is slightly shy of 2024's total of 11. NOAA's outlook is consistent, but on the low side of other outlooks issued recently by The Weather Company and by Colorado State University's tropical forecast team. This outlook was delivered from Gretna, Louisiana, to acknowledge the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina coming up in August. Ken Graham, the director of the National Weather Service, also acknowledged that there have been tremendous improvements in forecasts since Katrina. The five-day track forecast is now as accurate as the three-day outlook when Katrina was in the Gulf in 2005. Since Katrina, improvements in technology and forecasting have led to a cost avoidance of at least $60 billion, according to a study out of the University of Miami, and cited by Graham. NOAA intends to improve rapid intensification forecasts by 5-7% this season using one of its key hurricane models. This is important to gain an estimate of damage for landfalling hurricanes. Every Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the continental US was a tropical storm or less three days prior, according to Graham. (MORE: For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.) Graham noted there are still challenges ahead of us. There remains a strong focus on the number of hurricanes rather than the impacts from them. He noted that the fatalities from rip currents have outnumbered the deaths from storm surge in recent years. Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year highlighted that impacts can vary well away from the cone of uncertainty and well inland after the storm is no longer a hurricane. To combat these challenges, NOAA will produce a rip current forecast for the entire Atlantic and Gulf coasts this season. They're also going to include wind alerts on their forecast cone of uncertainty operationally this season. A new high-definition satellite will also watch over the Atlantic Basin this hurricane season. NOAA, in partnership with the University of Miami, will also be deploying new aircraft drones and underwater gliders to fill data gaps, advance our knowledge of hurricanes and improve forecast accuracy. NOAA's Hurricane Hunters will also be equipped with a new radar that will collect information on winds and ocean waves from their P3 aircraft. NOAA will also be upgrading its atmospheric/ocean buoy array with better instruments and better placement to monitor the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Factors Dictating How This Season Will Go: Unlike past seasons, this season has offsetting signals for the amount of activity we'll see. Hedging toward more active, warmer-than-average water temperatures is expected and wind shear is likely to be weaker. Climate scientists are expecting us to hang onto ENSO-neutral conditions through the peak of hurricane season in September, but La Niña is more likely as we head into the cooler months and the end of hurricane season. La Niña conditions typically allow more storms to sustain themselves, while its counterpart, El Niño, increases wind shear over the Caribbean and knocks down the activity there. Prepare every season: Regardless of what seasonal outlooks say, you should be prepared for every hurricane season. Even quieter hurricane seasons can include one destructive hurricane landfall, or for that matter, an inland remnant with flooding rain and high winds. For those affected, that would not be a "quiet" season. If you're along the East or Gulf coasts, the time to develop your hurricane safety plan is now, not when a storm is just days away. Information about hurricane preparedness can be found here. MORE FROM - The Hurricane Wind Scale: What It Means, And What It Doesn't - Pacific Hurricane Season Has Already Begun - Tropical Refresh: Terms You Should Know This Season Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for for 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.
