NOAA & USAFR Bring WP-3D and WC-130J in Efforts to Increase Hurricane Awareness Ahead of Hurricane Season (Credit: NOAA)

Image: Courtesy NOAA

DISCUSSION: Many places throughout the mainland United States, experiencing a late bout of winters fury with snow in the forecast and verification of such in late April. Well over a month into Spring, now is the time to prepare for the summer and what it has to offer. While we are expecting temperatures to increase, and trees to bud, now is an optimal time to begin the preparation process in advance of the Atlantic hurricane season which occurs June 1st to November 30th, and May 15th to November 30th in the Eastern Pacific. With the thought of preempting the season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in conjunction with the United States Air Force Reserve (USAFR), have developed a tour to increase awareness of early preparation for hurricane season.
 
Beginning May 6th-10th NOAA and the USAFR will visit 5 eastern U.S. cities to boost awareness. These cities include: Quonset Rhode Island, Middletown Pennsylvania, Roanoke Virginia, Charlotte North Carolina, and Brunswick Georgia. The tour will allow the public and media to tour aircraft used in critical data collection for scientists, often these aircraft are dubbed, “hurricane hunters.” The NOAA provides a WP-3D Orion while the USAFR will have a WC-130J aircraft on site. While the tour will be available to all, the concepts that NOAA are posing are that now is a crucial time to plan for the upcoming season.
 
Hurricane season comes as no surprise to those living in the most prone areas of the United States, however with the recent retiring of past hurricane names, and the increase of Hurricane Michael to attain category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale, NOAA is pushing for the public to understand the gravity of early preparation for the 2019 hurricane season. In addition to the drive toward the public to plan ahead, NOAA stresses the importance of these aircraft to the fleet to send real-time data for analysis to forecasters to provide the public with data to make clear decisions given information on storm intensity, track, and associated hazards, which are not limited to watches and warnings.
 
For more information on hurricanes visit the Global Weather and Climate Center!
 
© 2019 Meteorologist Jessica Olsen
 
 
Referenced:
NOAA & Air Force Reserve 'Hurricane Hunters' to visit East Coast on preparedness tour. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-air-force-reserve-hurricane-hunters-to-visit-east-coast-on-preparedness-tour