NOAA's three "hurricane hunter" aircraft may sport lovable Muppets character logos, but their mission to fly around and through deadly hurricanes is no laughing matter. During Hurricane Georges, it was the first time that all three aircraft – two WP-3 Orions and a Gulfstream IV jet - worked in conjunction with each other during flights through Cuban air space.

Hurricane aircraft almost never fly over land because hurricanes spawn tornadoes; they fly through hurricanes over the open seas. However, the National Hurricane Center requested that the aircraft fly over the Cuban land area because the eye of Georges was over Cuba and it was imperative that its exact position be determined. Forecasters must know where the eye of the storm is before they can accurately predict the track of the hurricane. NOAA is the only federal agency with hurricane tracking capabilities that is authorized by Cuba to fly in its airspace.

The three aircraft also worked together as Georges approached the U.S. Gulf coast. The two P-3s alternated flights and the G-IV flew each day. There was always at least one aircraft flying during the hurricane.

NOAA aircraft are managed and operated by NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center based at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. AOC is part of the Office of NOAA Corps Operations, composed both of civilians and commissioned officers of the NOAA Corps, the nation's smallest uniformed service.

Definitions of NOAA Hurricane Aircraft:

2 WP-3 Orions, or P-3s, turboprop aircraft (nicknamed Miss Piggy and Kermit) – Used for both hurricane research and reconnaissance. P-3s penetrate the eyewall repeatedly at altitudes up to 20,000 ft. and as low as 1,500 feet (which is by far the most dangerous role as it allows marginal time for the aircraft to take corrective measures if it gets caught in maximum hurricane winds - up to 175 mph - in the eyewall). The P-3s collect research-mission data critical for computer models that
predict hurricane intensity and landfall. This information is used differently than the hurricane reconnaissance information provided to the National Hurricane Center by U.S. Air Force Reserves WC-130s, which penetrate hurricanes at higher, less turbulent
altitudes to determine the position of the hurricane eye. P-3 information is sent to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Camp Springs, Md., to be used in numerical computer models. NCEP then sends the model data back to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. The information is important for current hurricane predictions as well as for research purposes.

Gulfstream-IV jet (nicknamed Gonzo) – NOAA's newest meteorological aircraft is used to paint a detailed picture of the upper atmosphere surrounding hurricanes. It provides measurements of the upper level hurricane steering winds that determine the track of the hurricane. The G-IV flies 100 to 300 miles from the eye of the hurricane, at altitudes up to 45,000 feet. G-IV data, which supplements the P-3 data, has improved track and intensity forecasts by up to 25 percent.

Dropwindsondes – These instruments are deployed from both the P-3s and G-IV. They measure pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind information and relay this data back to the aircraft. The aircraft transmit the data to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, which processes it and sends it to the National Hurricane Center.

NOAA satellite images of Hurricane Georges.

For further information, please visit our Web site: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/hurricanes.html or contact Jeanne Kouhestani at (202) 482-6090 or Dr. Jim McFadden at (813) 828-3310 ext. 3076.