There is more to the job of a Hurricane Hunter than meets the eye. Researchers, pilots, and crew from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bravely fly into one of the most dangerous environments on Earth to collect data inside a tropical cyclone, which helps to improve forecast models and protect lives and property.
Aviators with NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps headquartered at NOAA’s Aircraft Operation Center pilot three Hurricane Hunter aircraft (two Lockheed WP-3D Orion turboprop aircraft and one Gulfstream IV-SP jet) to support researchers from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), Environmental Modeling Center (EMC), and National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Have you ever wondered what an average day looks like for a NOAA Hurricane Hunter? Follow along as Holly Stahl, a communications intern with AOML through the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) traveled to Aruba in September 2022 to join a Hurricane Hunter mission into Hurricane Fiona.
