Visit NOAA's National Hurricane Center Web site for official information on hurricanes.

Find out more about hurricanes by visiting NOAA's Hurricane Research Division.

Get the latest information on the hurricanes from the National Weather Service Forecast Office, Tallahassee, Fla.

Flagships of the NOAA aircraft fleet, the P-3's are among the most advanced airborne environmental research platforms flying today. They operate around the world, participating in NOAA, interagency, and international investigations. These aircraft give scientists a unique asset for the study of hurricanes and other severe storms, global climate change, air chemistry and pollution, oceanography, arctic ice formation, and many other environmental issues.

The P-3 Hurricane Hunters are operated by the Hurricane Research Division. The decision to allow media to fly on the P-3 flights for a particular storm is made by the HRD, usually at the last minute. The NOAA P-3 only flies 200 hours per season and the number of media who can fly are subject to the science that HRD is conducting and the number of scientists conducting it. The number of media that can be accommodated on the P-3 depends on the seats available (probably not more than two seats).

More info on the Lockheed P-3 aircraft is available.

Contact: Frank Lepore, National Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force Reserve, flies into tropical storms and hurricanes on a routine basis. The Squadron operates 10 Lockheed WC-130 aircraft and crews are based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Flights aboard the U.S. Air Force Reserve's WC-130 "Hercules" Hurricane Hunters are arranged directly with the 403rd Weather Reconn Squadron. Media should contact the Squadron when there is a storm. The Hurricane Hunters can take up to three media outlets at a time.

Lots of information on the Hurricane Hunters is available on the Internet.

Contact: Major Mike Odom, Public Affairs Officer (601) 377-2056.

NOAA Aircraft Operations Center

NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) is located at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. The AOC provides the aircraft equipped with the scientific instruments required for a hurricane research mission.

Contact: Lori Sumner, (813) 828-3310 ext. 3001 or 3072 or Dr. Jim McFadden, (813) 828-3310 X 3076

Gulfstream-IV

The Gulfstream G-IV, first flown in 1997, flies into the steering currents of hurricanes at 45,000 feet. Data from dropwindsondes that measure barometric pressure, temperature, and wind flow will be transmitted to a satellite, which will then transmit it to the National Hurricane Center in Miami and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, & Information Center (NESDIS) in Suitland, Md.

The data resulting from these G-IV flights helps the National Hurricane Center improve hurricane landfall and track forecasts by about 20 percent, 24 hours ahead of time, and to further refine storm intensity forecasts, ultimately saving taxpayers millions of dollars in unneeded evacuation costs.

Media flights on the Gulfstream-IV are coordinated through the National Hurricane Center. Requests are handled first come/first served and generally no more than two members of the media can fly on any particular mission.

More details on the G-IV and a backgrounder is also available.

Contact: Frank Lepore, National Hurricane Center, Public Affairs Officer (305) 229-4404