GAO: NOAA and U.S. Air Force “Hurricane Hunters” Face Growing Challenges

Key Takeaways
> Hurricane Hunter operations have significantly increased since 2014, especially winter missions.
> Aircraft maintenance issues and staffing shortages have caused missed mission requirements.
> Agencies need better coordination on aircraft upgrades and replacements.
> GAO made eight recommendations, including that NOAA and the USAF track data on why mission requirements are missed, assess their Hurricane Hunter workforces, and establish a mechanism for senior leaders to regularly communicate. 

Overview
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identified serious challenges facing the “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF). These specialized aircraft fly directly into tropical cyclones and winter storms to collect critical data that improves forecasting accuracy, helping communities prepare for severe weather events and potentially saving lives.

The report highlights that demand for Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance missions has grown considerably since 2014, driven by increased tropical cyclone activity and new responsibilities to collect data on Pacific storms that can cause flooding on the West Coast. This rising demand has strained both agencies’ capabilities, resulting in missed mission requirements and operational challenges.

Findings
The GAO investigation uncovered several key issues affecting the Hurricane Hunter operations:

1. Missed Mission Requirements: Both NOAA and the USAF have increasingly failed to meet mission requirements in recent years. For example, maintenance issues prevented NOAA’s only high-altitude jet from flying two Hurricane Helene missions in 2024.
2. Lack of Data Tracking: Neither agency systematically tracks the reasons why mission requirements are missed, hampering their ability to address root causes.
3. Staffing Challenges: Officials reported staffing shortages as a contributing factor to operational difficulties, but comprehensive workforce assessments have not been conducted.
4. Aging Aircraft: NOAA is planning to replace its three aging planes with six new aircraft, while the U.S. Air Force has identified needed technology upgrades for its fleet.
5. Poor Inter-Agency Communication: The report found that NOAA and USAF senior leaders lack a formal mechanism for regular communication about plans and resources, leading to misaligned investment decisions.
6. Increased Winter Mission Demand: The data shows a substantial increase in winter season reconnaissance missions, particularly for monitoring atmospheric rivers that can cause extreme precipitation and flooding along the U.S. West Coast.

Why It Matters
As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, the role of Hurricane Hunters becomes increasingly critical. The atmospheric data they collect helps NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists predict a storm’s track, intensity, and potential impact with greater precision. This information gives emergency managers, government officials, and the public more time to prepare, potentially saving countless lives and reducing property damage.

The increasing demand for winter season reconnaissance missions, particularly for atmospheric rivers affecting the West Coast, highlights the expanding scope of the Hurricane Hunters’ mission beyond just tropical cyclones. These winter storms can cause catastrophic flooding and damage, making accurate forecasting equally vital.

Addressing the issues identified in the GAO report is essential to ensure these critical aircraft can continue to meet growing demands in the face of increasingly complex and frequent severe weather events.

Recommendations
GAO submitted a total of eight recommendations, including four to the USAF, three to NOAA, and one to the Department of Commerce. Specifically:

• The Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command should, in coordination with the Administrator of NOAA, develop and implement a process to systematically track data on the reasons Hurricane Hunter mission requirements are missed. (Recommendation 1)
• The Administrator of NOAA should, in coordination with the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, develop and implement a process to systematically track data on the reasons Hurricane Hunter mission requirements are missed. (Recommendation 2)
• The Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command should perform a comprehensive assessment of its Hurricane Hunter workforce, including examining staffing levels and workforce structure, to inform future workforce planning. (Recommendation 3)
• The Administrator of NOAA should perform a comprehensive assessment of its Hurricane Hunter workforce, including examining staffing levels and workforce structure, to inform future workforce planning. (Recommendation 4)
• The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that NOAA’s funding needs for Hurricane Hunter aircraft acquisitions are regularly communicated to relevant stakeholders, including Congress, such as by including information on these needs in its annual budget requests. (Recommendation 5)
• The Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command should assess whether Air Force processes create barriers to upgrading Hurricane Hunter aircraft capabilities and define strategies to mitigate any identified barriers, as appropriate. (Recommendation 6)
• The Administrator of NOAA should, in coordination with the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, establish a mechanism for their senior leaders to regularly communicate and share information about Hurricane Hunter plans and resources. (Recommendation 7)
• The Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command should, in coordination with the Administrator of NOAA, establish a mechanism for their senior leaders to regularly communicate and share information about Hurricane Hunter plans and resources. (Recommendation 8)

For the full report, click here.