NOAA
HURRICANE HUNTER PILOT CAPTURES KATRINA AT HER MEANEST
Sept.
1, 2005 � NOAA hurricane hunter WP-3D
Orion and Gulfstream
IV aircraft conducted ten long flights into and around the eye of
Hurricane Katrina. Lt. Mike Silah, a P-3 pilot, got to see Hurricane
Katrina up close and personal, especially when she was an extremely
dangerous Category Five storm in the Gulf of Mexico. The day before
the powerful and destructive storm made landfall on the USA Gulf Coast,
Silah snapped a series of images capturing the eyewall of Katrina.
Silah is a NOAA Corps officer
based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations
Center in Tampa, Fla.
Hurricane
Katrina eyewall images taken on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005, during
a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter flight at the time the storm was a
Category Five hurricane. Please credit “NOAA.” |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall as seen from the NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft on Aug. 28, 2005, a day before the powerful storm came crashing into the USA Gulf Coast.](images/katrina-eyewall-1-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall
as seen from the NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft on Aug. 28,
2005, a day before the powerful storm came crashing into the USA
Gulf Coast. Click
here for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of the swirling clouds that make up the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina taken on Aug. 28, 2005, while the storm churned in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category Five hurricane.](images/katrina-eyewall-2-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of the swirling clouds that make
up the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina taken on Aug. 28, 2005, while
the storm churned in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category Five hurricane.
Click here
for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s tight eyewall as seen from a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft on Aug. 28, 2005, before the storm made landfall in the U.S. Gulf Coast.](images/katrina-eyewall-3-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s tight
eyewall as seen from a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft on Aug.
28, 2005, before the storm made landfall in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The NOAA P-3's propeller in visible in the foreground. Click
here for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s large eyewall taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005, when the powerful storm was at it meanest—a Category Five on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.](images/katrina-eyewall-4-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s large
eyewall taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005,
when the powerful storm was at it meanest—a Category Five
on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Click
here for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of the eyewall bands of Hurricane Katrina taken on Aug. 28, 2005, by a NOAA hurricane hunter pilot.](images/katrina-eyewall-5-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of the eyewall bands of Hurricane
Katrina taken on Aug. 28, 2005, by a NOAA hurricane hunter pilot.
Click here
for high resolution version.) |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005, a day before the highly destructive storm slammed its full fury into the USA Gulf Coast.](images/katrina-eyewall-6-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall
taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005, a day
before the highly destructive storm slammed its full fury into the
USA Gulf Coast. Click
here for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall taken from a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter turboprop aircraft on Aug. 28, 2005. The serene view belies the destructive power of the Category Five storm.](images/katrina-eyewall-7-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall
taken from a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter turboprop aircraft on Aug.
28, 2005. The serene view belies the destructive power of the Category
Five storm. Click
here for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005, a day before the powerful storm came barreling into the USA Gulf Coast.](images/katrina-eyewall-8-08-28-2005d.jpg)
Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Katrina’s eyewall
taken by a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter pilot on Aug. 28, 2005, a day
before the powerful storm came barreling into the USA Gulf Coast.
Click here
for high resolution version. |
![NOAA image of NOAA hurricane hunter WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV aircraft in flight.](images/p3-gulfstream3.jpg)
Click
NOAA image for larger view of NOAA hurricane hunter WP-3D Orion
and Gulfstream IV aircraft in flight (undated). Click
here for high resolution version. |
NOAA,
an agency of the U.S. Department
of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national
safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal
and marine resources.
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Aerial Images of USA
Gulf Coast Impacted by Hurricane Katrina
NOAA
Aircraft Operations Center
NOAA
Corps
NOAA
Marine and Aviation Operations
Media
Contact:
Greg Hernandez, NOAA,
(202) 482-3091
(Photos courtesy of Lt. Mike Silah, a NOAA P-3 pilot.)
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