Aerial weather reconnaissance is vitally important to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Reconnaissance aircraft penetrate to the core of the storm and provide detailed measurements of its wind field as well as accurate location of its center; information that is usually not available from any other source. This information helps the meteorologist determine what is going on inside a storm as it actually happens. Aircraft data coupled with data from satellites, bouys, and land and ship reports, makes up an important part of the information available to the hurricane specialists for their forecast of speed, intensity, and direction of movement of the storm.

The National Hurricane Center is supported by specially modified aircraft of the U.S. Air Force Reserve (USAFR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). The USAFR crews known as the "Storm Trackers" and are part of the 815 Tactical Airlift Squadron which is based at Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi, Mississippi. They fly the Lockhead WC-130 "Hercules," a four-engine turboprop aircraft which carries a crew of six people and can stay aloft for up to 14 hours. NOAA flies Lockheed WP-3 "Orions", another four-engine turboprop that carries a crew consisting of from seven to seventeen persons and stay aloft for up to 12 hours. The NOAA/AOC aircraft and crews are based at Miami International Airport. Both units can be deployed as needed in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Central Pacific Ocean.

Meteorological information obtain from aerial reconnaissance include winds, pressure, temperature, dew point temperature, and location of the storm center. A parachute-borne weather sensor dropped from the plane measures the storm characteristics below the aircraft. Data from the storm environment is available as often as once every minute. This information provides a detailed look at the structure of the storm and a clear indication of its intensity.

Aerial weather reconnaissance in one of nature's most destructive forces is not without risk. In September 1955, a Navy P2V and its crew of nine plus two Canadian newsman were lost in the Caribbean Sea while flying in Hurricane Janet. Three Air Force aircraft have been lost flying in typhoons in the Pacific.

Flying into a hurricane is a unique experience. Weather crew members who have flown combat missions say that their feelings before both missions were similar. There is a blend of excitement and apprehension. Adding to the tension is the knowledge that no two hurricanes are alike. Some are gentle while others are like raging bulls. Preparations for flying into a hurricane must be thorough. All crew members are highly trained specialists. Loose objects are tied down or stowed away, and crew members wear seat belts and safety harnesses. Once in the aircraft's radar picks up the storm, the crew determines the easiest way to get inside. In a well developed storm, this can be a difficult challenge. Winds at flight level often exceeds 100 miles an hour, and the wall cloud surrounding the center can be several miles thick. Rain often comes in torrents, and updrafts are usually strong and frequent. Inside the eye, however, the conditions are very different; many times the ocean is visible and there is blue sky and sunshine above. The flight level winds area nearly calm. Often the wall cloud presents a stadium effect.

Both the WC-130 "Hercules" and the WP-3 "Orion" operate most efficiently at altitudes of 24,000 to 30,000 feet. Since most storms occur some distance from the aircraft's home station, the crew usually flies to the storm as high as they can because this helps to conserve fuel. About 200 miles from the storm, the aircraft descends to its storm operating level. If the storm is in its infancy, such as depression or tropical storm with winds less than 50 mph, then the crew operates as close to the surface of the sea as can be done safely--usually about 1,500 feet. If the storm is more fully developed, either a hurricane or a strong tropical storm, then the aircraft flies its pattern, including penetrations at the center at 10,000 feet altitude. A typical mission will last from 10-12 hours during which time the crew will penetrate the center of the storm from 3 to 6 times. When its mission is completed, the aircraft will climb back to altitude for the trip home.

The job of tying the reconnaissance effort together rests with a small group of former Air Force people assigned to the Hurricane Center. This unit, under the Chief, Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes (known by the acronym CARCAH) and then transmitted to the world-wide meteorological community through both military and civilian communication circuits.