![]() ![]() ![]() “With this kind of storm, where it’s so close to the East Coast, any variation or diversion in track, whether that’s five or 10 miles, can mean a lot to those people who live in those impacted areas. 7, the Hurricane Hunters found winds up to 120 mph at an elevation of 10,000 feet and 110 mph at the surface, said Carpenter. During storm flights, the aircrews transmit weather data via satellite communication every 10 minutes to the NHC. During each pass through the eye, they released a dropsonde, which collects weather data on its descent to the ocean surface, measuring wind speed and direction, temperature, dew point and pressure. To gather this data, the aircrew flew through the eye of Hurricane Matthew six times to locate the low-pressure center and circulation of the storm. “We learned it’s a strong storm it’s slowly weakening, but its proximity to coast is why it’s important and why we are flying it around the clock.” “We got a lot of good information and data today,” Carpenter said. They work together to collect vital data on a storm’s intensity and direction that assists the NHC with their forecasts and storm warnings. In addition to the aerial reconnaissance weather officer, the crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator and a weather loadmaster. Kelsie Carpenter was the aerial reconnaissance weather officer on a flight that left at 4 a.m. 6, and made its way up the Florida coastline Oct. 29 and rapidly intensified to Category 5. Hurricane Matthew formed off the coast of Africa in late September, became a hurricane Sept. Virgin Islands, and moved operations to Keesler Air Force Base Oct. They started flying the storm from the Henry Rohlsen Airport, St. ![]() The squadron, part of the 403rd Wing and better known as the Hurricane Hunters, has been flying the storm since Sept. (AFNS) - The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron has been conducting around-the-clock operations flying into Hurricane Matthew to collect critical weather data for the National Hurricane Center in Miami to improve the center’s computer models that forecast movement and intensity. ![]()
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