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Why Do You Fly Through Hurricanes to Get Information?

The Air Force Hurricane Hunters are a group of scientists that fly into the center of hurricanes to gather information. They are not the only group that flies into these storms. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, also fly into the eyes of hurricanes with their own instruments to gather information on the storms' speed and direction.

Measure the Wind Speed
- The NOAA WP-3D is a four-engine turbo prop plane that flies into wind speeds in excess of 156 miles per hour.
  
  The speed of the winds of a tropical storm or hurricane are estimated based on computer models and satellite imagery until the plane flies through the storm. With the use of instruments on board, a more accurate reading of wind speeds can be taken giving a more accurate timing of when the storm is going to arrive onshore.
Get a 3-D Profile
- It is essential to know as soon as possible where a hurricane will reach landfall.
  
  The GPS Dropwindsonde is a device that is attached to a cable and dropped into the heart of the highest winds in the hurricane. This device gives scientists a three-dimensional vertical profile of the storm, including its temperature, wind direction, humidity, pressure and location every half second. The varying conditions can affect the storm's speed, intensity or direction and this device lets the scientists know immediately if the track of the storm needs to be changed to let residents know as soon as possible if evacuatioin is needed.
Gauge Storm Evolution
- The size, speed and formation of a storm can change quickly.
  
  When the temperature of the ocean water underneath the storm increases, the intensity of the storm increases. Scientists are able to instantaneously measure an increase in the evolution of the storm whether it be an increasing or decreasing in size or an indication that the organization of the storm is breaking up and becoming less of a threat to people onshore. Sometimes a high-pressure system moving south will meet a storm heading north and will force the circulating winds to tear themselves apart and neutralize the storm. At other times, a low-pressure system can merge with a storm increasing it's strength and voracity. This happened in 1991 when the broken remnants of Hurricane Grace merged with a low-pressure system Nor'Easter and created "The Perfect Storm."
Predict Speed and Direction
- Hurricanes can change direction upon hitting the resistance of land.
  
  Some scientists specialize in the study of a hurricane's behavior as the wind fields approach landfall. Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico that pass over the mountains of Cuba can take an unanticipated "bounce" in another direction after clearing those mountains. This can only really be done from the center of the storm. This study can help scientists understand how a storm can virtually weaken into a rain storm over land just to hold together long enough to make it into the ocean again and head for another state's shoreline. Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida, weakening, but seemingly gaining strength over the warm waters of the Everglades. When it left Florida, Andrew passed over warm Gulf of Mexico waters and headed for Louisiana and finally dissipated in Tennessee.

Nature