Budget Ax may Fall on Hurricane Hunter Planes
~The Miami Herald, September 2, 2011
Hurricane Irene has put the spotlight on spending for forecasting, with budget cutters looking at Hurricane Hunter planes. With the cleanup from Hurricane Irene ongoing, and Hurricane Katia looming in the Atlantic Ocean, some lawmakers and top federal scientists are making the case for maintaining healthy research budgets that sharpen the accuracy of hurricane forecasts. <more>
Budget Ax may Fall on Hurricane Hunter Planes
~St. Petersburg Times, September 2, 2011
Washington - With the cleanup from Hurricane Irene ongoing, Tropical Storm Katia looming in the Atlantic Ocean and a tropical depression threatening the upper Gulf coast, some law3makers and top federal scientists are making the case for maintaining healthy research budgets that sharpen the accuracy of hurricane forecasts. <more>
NOAA Vigilance Could Limit Hurricane Research Flights
~NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, August 31, 2011
Video <more>
Hurricane Hunters Greet Irene in North Carolina
~My Fox Tampa Bay, August 29, 2011
As Hurricane Irene made landfall Saturday morning near Morehead City, North Carolina, there shouldn't have been many people left on the barrier islands to greet her. But that doesn't mean the storm came ashore alone. <more>
Chasing Hurricane Irene on a Wing and a Badge
~Huff Post IMPACT, August 29, 2011
Hurricane Irene has dominated the news on the US East coast for the past week, and I was among those trapped (though not harmed) by her passing in New York City. <more>
Tweeting From Inside Hurricane Irene
~My Fox Tampa Bay, August 29, 2011
TAMPA - Technology is continuing to transform the way that meteorologists predict hurricanes like Irene. Now, even Twitter is getting in on the action. <more>
Protect the Hurricane Hunters
~Herald Tribune, Sarasota FL, August 29, 2011
Hurricane Hunters are: A) Valuable public servants who fly aircraft on hazardous missions to collect information that enables weather forecasters to help Americans protect themselves and their property. <more>
NOAA Ship Pays a Visit During Irene
~My Fox Tampa Bay, August 29, 2011
NOAA team from Tampa ends long week of flights. As Hurricane Irene made landfall Saturday morning near Morehead City, North Carolina, there shouldn't have been many people left on the barrier islands to greet her. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Greet Irene in North Carolina: NOAA team from Tampa Ends Long Week of Flights
~MyFoxTampaBay.com, August 27, 2011
TAMPA - Technology is continuing to transform the way that meteorologists predict hurricanes like Irene. Now, even Twitter is getting in on the action. <more>
Flying Into the Teeth of Irene
~CBS News.com, August 26, 2011
A hurricane hunter flies into Irene everyday in order to get a picture of what the storm looks like and make more accurate predictions of her direction and intensity. CBS's Bigad Shaban went along for the bumpy ride. <video>
Inside Irene: What Hurricane Hunters are Finding
~ourAmazingplanet.com, August 26, 2011
Hurricane hunting aircraft have been flying Hurricane Irene for nearly a week, keeping close watch on the massive Category 2 storm that is barreling toward the U.S. coast, much of the Eastern Seaboard in its cross hairs. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Taking Off from MacDill AFB
~13 News, August 26, 2011
Tampa - Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base has been a launching pad for hurricane hunter planes heading to gather critical details about Hurricane Irene. <more>
A Hurricane Hunter's View of Irene
~90.9 WBUR Here & Now, August 26, 2011
Hurricane Irene focused her aim on the Eastern Seaboard Friday, threatening 65 million people from North Carolina to New England. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Fly into Uncertainty
~Tampa Bay Online.com, August 25, 2011
Tampa - When an ominous looking tropical wave morphed in a matter of hours into Tropical Storm Irene over the weekend, a team of pilots, scientists and technicians based at MacDill Air force Base readied for action. <more>
Funding for Hurricane Hunters Threatened
~Herald-Tribune, Associated Press, August 25, 2011
As early as Tuesday of this week, people in North Carolina knew chances were pretty high that they would face an intense hurricane this weekend, while Floridians could breathe easy. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Keep Close Eye on Irene
~Live Science, August 23, 2011
As Hurricane Irene has grown from nascent storm to full-blown hurricane - the first of the 2011 Atlantic season - the strengthening system has had plenty of human company in its swirling clouds. <more>
Bumpy ride: Flying into Hurricane IreneHunters Threatened
~Herald-Tribune, Associated Press, August 25, 2011
As early as Tuesday of this week, people in North Carolina knew chances were pretty high that they would face an intense hurricane this weekend, while Floridians could breathe easy. <more>
Funding for Hurricane Hunters Threatened
~Herald-Tribune, Associated Press, August 25, 2011
As early as Tuesday of this week, people in North Carolina knew chances were pretty high that they would face an intense hurricane this weekend, while Floridians could breathe easy. <more>
Meteorologist, Brent Watts shows us How Hurricane Hunters Keep Us Ready
~WDBJ7.com August 10, 2011
Video <more>
Cuts Could Limit Hurricane Research Flights
~Miami Herald, July 27, 2011
Hurricane forecasters have steadily sharpened their accuracy over the last decade - thanks in no small part to research work done aboard three specialized planes based in Tampa. But the latest round of proposed federal spending cuts could clip the research wing of the famed "Hurricane Hunter" squadron. <more>
Congress Committee Wants to Cut 40% from Hurricane Research Planes
~Palm Beach Post, July 27, 2011
In 1999, as Hurricane Floyd threatened the U.S. east coast, sparking what was then the largest peacetime evacuation in American history, forecasters predicted it would get close to Florida, then turn. They based their confidence on readings gathered from flying their Gulfstream-IV jet "Gonzo" over the weather system they believed would steer Floyd away. They turned out to be right. Now the U.S. House Appropriations committee - as part of a struggle to make government leaner - has sliced about 40 percent out of the Tampa-based operation that often flies the sleek jet, along with three P3 Orion Planes. <more>
Trying to Reduce Ship-Whale Collisions in Santa Barbara Channel
~Los Angeles Times/Local, July 27, 2011
Reporting from the Channel Islands - Natalie Senyk and Ben Waltenberger peered out the bubble-shaped windows of the small research plane flying 1,000 feet over the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and scanned the ocean surface for signs of life. <more>
Aerial Survey of Santa Barbara Channel Underway as Researchers Investigate Whale Strikes by Cargo Ships
~KCLU, July 19, 2011
Researchers are tracking the movements of blue whales in the Santa Barbara Channel to try to come up with strategies to keep them from being hit by passing cargo ships. KCLU's Lance Orozco takes us along on an aerial survey flight over the Channel with the NOAA research team. <more>
Central Oregon Coast Holds a Day to Learn About NOAA
BeachConnection.net, June 3, 2011
As the central Oregon coast continues to get a bit giddy over the arrival of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) new facility there, its neighbor and sort of brother in science there is holding a special event on June 11 call NOAA Day. <more>
NOAA Hurricane Outlook Indicates an Above-Normal Atlantic Season
NOAA News Release, May 19,2011
The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center - A division of the National Weather Service <more>
Begich Praises NOAA Sacrifices for Nation
The Cordova Times, May 15, 2011
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska last night saluted the sacrifices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Commissioned Officer Corps and their families as comparable to those of many military families. <more>
NOAA Visits Cherry Point, Educates Local Community
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, May 13, 2011
Hurricane season begins June 1, which will bring the possibility of destructive and deadly storms to the East and Gulf coasts. <more>
Northrop Secretly Develops Spy Plane in San Diego
San Diego Union-Tribune, May 9, 2011
Northrop Grumman will today unveil a small new spy plane that it secretly developed in San Diego and the Mojave Desert to compete in the fast growing market for aircraft that can do everything from stalk terrorists to patrol borders to provide live video of natural disasters. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Stops at Cape Cod Base
Associated Press, May 9, 2011
An Orion P3, one of the many Hurricane Hunters in service for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stopped off at Otis Air Base on Cape Cod for tours this past week to raise hurricane awareness. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Plane Prepares for Season
Local 10.com, WPLG-Miami, May 8, 2011
Hurricane season is just one month away, and Hurricane trackers are already busy getting their gear ready. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Aircraft in South Florida on Awareness/Safety Tour
The Palm Beach Post, May 7, 2011
With hurricane season just weeks away, the 111-foot by 33-foot Lockheed four-engine plane was on display Friday for this year's Hurricane Awareness Tour. <more>
Hunting Hurricanes No Joy Ride
ENC Today.com, May 6, 2011
Flying into a hurricane is akin to riding on a roller coaster, according to the men and women who study the tropical cyclones up close each year. <more>
Tour a NOAA Hurricane Hunter Plane on Friday
Orlando Sentinel, May 6, 2011
If you'd like to see the inside of hurricane hunter aircraft, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's WP-3 Orion will be open for free public tours from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Fort Lauderdale-Executive Airport. <more>
Inside Look at a Hurricane Hunter Plane
News Channel 5-WPTV.com, May 6, 2011
The National Hurricane Center showed off one of its biggest and most valuable tools Friday; a P-3D Orion "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft which is a vital part of hurricane forecasting. <more>
Chasing Storms with Hurricane Hunters
NBC Miami, May 6, 2011
The National Weather Service tested out the plane it uses to fly right into the eye of the storm and we were aboard. <video link>
Hurricane Hunter Plane Open for Tours
The Miami Herald, Staff, May 5, 2011
A hurricane hunter plane will be open for public tours in Fort Lauderdale on May 6. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Lands in Savannah
Savannah Morning News, May 5, 2011
When tropical weather kicks up and coastal communities evacuate inland, the crew of the NOAA plane nicknamed "Kermit" does just the opposite - steering its hurricane hunter aircraft right through the eyewall of the storm. <more>
Hurricane Hunters' Visit a Sign Storm Season Nears
WWAY News Channel 3-ABC, May 4, 2011
Eastern North Carolina welcomed a special guest through the air Wednesday as one of the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew in to Cherry Point. <more>
Storm Team 9 Tours Hurricane Hunter Aircraft
WINCT Staff, May 4, 2011
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.- We're less than a month away from the 20-11 hurricane season and it looks like it's going to be a busy one. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Comes to Town
WCTI (ABC) News Channel 12, May 4, 2011
Craven County - One of the most vital tools in tracking hurricanes makes a stop in Eastern North Carolina. <more>
Inside the "Hurricane Hunter" Plane
WWLP Cape Cod 22 News via You Tube, May 3, 2011
Video Only - Most pilots actually steer their planes outside of storms or around storms, but one plane actually gets steered into storms. That's because this plane is know as the "hurricane hunter.". <more>
Hurricane-Hunting Turboprop Touches Down for Tours on Cape
Cape Cod Times, May 3, 2011
Air Station Cape Cod - If the Eastern Seaboard has a guardian angel, it might well be the aircraft with a 100-foot wingspan and Doppler radar tail parked on the tarmac at Air Station Cape Cod on Monday. <more>
Inside the "Hurricane Hunter" Plane
22 News WWLP.com, May 3, 2011
Sandwich, Mass. (WWLP) - Most pilots actually steer their planes outside of storms or around storms, but one plane actually gets steered into storms. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Visit Pax River
The Baynet.com, May 3, 2011
Patuxent River Naval Station was the second stop of five this week for the East Coast Hurricane Hunter Tour. Students from area schools, public officials and the general public were able to tour one of the two P-3 Orion aircraft used to fly into the eyes of hurricanes to study, track and predict extreme weather events. <more>
Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Makes a Stop in NC, Offers Tours
WECT Wilmington 6 HD, May 3, 2011
"The 2010 hurricane season was one of the most active on record, yet no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. That does not mean we will be as fortunate during the 2011 season," said Bill Read, director of NOAA's national Hurricane Center. "Be prepared for a hurricane now, before one threatens your area." <more>
A NOAA Aerial Photo Shows Damage Caused by Last Week's Tornado over Tuscaloosa
AlertNet, May 2, 2011
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aerial photo, released to Reuters on May 1, 2011 and taken from a King Air 350CER aircraft at an altitude of 5,000 feet, shows damage caused by last week's tornado over Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama was the worst-hit state in last week's storms, with 250 people killed. Another 101 people died in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana. About 1,700 people were injured in Alabama alone and others were missing after tornadoes crushed homes, flipped cars upside down and tore children from their parents' arms. The death toll from last week, which is still expected to rise, was the second-highest inflicted by tornadoes in U.S. history. <more>
"That's Professor Global Hawk"
Air & Space Magazine, May 1, 2011
A remote-piloted warrior starts flying for science. On an April morning last year beneath a bright desert sky, officials at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California unveiled their newest tool for studying the atmosphere: a Global Hawk...Originally developed to provide field commanders with high-resolution surveillance imagery and produced by Northrop Grumman, Global Hawks fly high and long. <more>
Disaster, Loss at Every Turn in Wake of Tornadoes
Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2011
The scope of devastation left by the second-deadliest tornado blast in U.S. history continued to emerge Saturday as stunned survivors combed the wreckage of homes churned into matchsticks and aid workers and volunteers struggled to get food, water and generators to thousands displaced across seven Southern states....The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dispatched its infrared-sensing King Air 350CER surveillance plane to record the devastation between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. The weather agency posted images of a central Tuscaloosa neighborhood from before and after the tornadoes revealing shocking ruin in the once-serene corner of the university town of 83,000. The agency put the number of tornadoes to strike the South last week at 288 in a three-day period. <more>
NOAA Hurricane Team to Embark on East Coast Awareness Tour
NOAA, April 25, 2011
NOAA hurricane experts will visit five U.S. East Coast cities aboard a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft to raise awareness about storm threats and the danger of being caught without a personal hurricane plan. The five-day tour begins May 2nd. <more>
Terry Swails looks at flooding threat from Upper Mississippi
NOAA, March 2011
PART I. When it comes to gatherine and analyzing specialized data about floods in the Quad Cities region, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the North Central River Forecast Center. <more>
PART II. <more>
Producer's Notes: Marine Sanctuary Patrol Flight
QUEST, KQED, June 17, 2010
Much of the ocean waters off the coast of California, from Bodega Head to Cambria, have been set aside as national marine sanctuaries. <more>
PODCAST: G-IV Jet Gives Storm Forecasts a Boost from Skies Above Pacific
NOAA.gov, February 22, 2011
In mid-January, NOAA dispatched one of its highly specialized aircraft to collect atmospheric data over the North Pacific Ocean to improve winter storm forecasts for the entire North American continent. <more>
Weather Talk: Survey Flights Help Forecast Future River Discharge Rates
Fargo Inforum, ND, February 16, 2011
Recently I was given the opportunity to fly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on a survey flight to measure the water content of our snowpack. NOAA uses a modified Turbo Commander aircraft that is capable of measuring the naturally occurring gamma radiation that is emitted from the ground. <more>
Special Flight Helps Determine How Much Moisture is in the Snow
WDAY News 6 (ABC), Fargo, ND, February 7, 2011
It's the most important number that will determine the extent of our spring flood moisture content. Today, the first numbers from our region, from a special flight, in a special plane. WDAY-6 Stormtracker meteorologist Daryl Ritchison was the only person from our area on that flight today. <link>
NOAA's Weatherman in the Sky
Environmental News Network, January 14, 2011
Forecasting the weather can be a tricky business, especially in winter. When a winter storm approaches, forecasts can range widely across the board from light flurries to a blizzard. <more>
Maria Cantwell and the Storm-Tracker Jet
The Oregonian, January 14, 2011
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., put out a press release Thursday announcing that a "highly specialized research aircraft will be on patrol over the North Pacific Ocean to enhance winter storm forecasts for Washington." <more>
High-Tech NOAA Plane Dispatched to Improve Winter Storm Forecast Accuracy
The Examiner (Washington), January 14, 2011
This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that they have dispatched one of their most highly specialized aircrafts to collect data over the Northern Pacific Ocean to help improve winter storm forecast accuracy in the United States and Canada. <more>
Weather Jet Scopes out Storms Headed our Way
The Seattle Times, January 13, 2011
This weekend's weather forecast might be more accurate than usual, thanks to a high-tech jet dispatched over the northern Pacific Ocean by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). <more>
North American Winter Storm Forecasts to Get Boost from High-Tech NOAA Plane
NOAA News, January 13, 2011
NOAA dispatched one of its highly specialized aircraft to collect atmospheric data over the North Pacific Ocean to enhance forecasts of winter storms for the entire North American continent. <more>
G-IV News Release: click here
Research Plane to Spy on Northwest Winter Weather
Sunbreak, January 13, 2011
It's not every day that we get a news release datelined "Toppenish, WA" so you're going to hear about it." Very quickly in the story, though, we leave Toppenish for more exotic climes, as NOAA has tasked a high-altitude, twin-engine Gulfstream IV-SP jet to patrol the North Pacific Ocean this winter, and watch for winter storms developing there that will hit the continent (i.e., US) later on. <more>
Cantwell: U.S. Weather Plane Will Provide Washington with Earlier, More Accurate Winter Storm Warnings
Press Release of Senator Cantwell, January 13, 2011
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that a highly specialized research aircraft will be on patrol over the North Pacific Ocean to enhance winter storm forecasts for Washington. <more>
NOAA and Partners Assist Entangled Right Whale off East Coast of Florida
December 31, 2010
A team of state and federal biologists assisted a severely entangled North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Daytona, Fla., yesterday. The team successfully removed more than 150 feet of ropes wrapped around the whale's head and fins, and cut portions of entangling ropes that remain on the animal. <more>
NOAA OMAO Supports Deepwater Horizon Spill Response Effort
NOAA OMAO News Events 2010
The NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMA)) continues to support the BP Deepwater Horizon spill response effort. To learn more, click here.
NOAA Ship Crew Rescues Pilot
Miami Herald, Posted Monday, August 16, 2010
The crew of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel recently assigned to look for oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico turned into heroes Saturday night, rescuing a pilot whose plane crashed in the dark waters off Key West. <more>
NOAA Plane Probes Gulf for Answers (story and video)
Bradenton Herald, June 13, 2010
NOAA Deploys Additional High Powered Research Aircraft to Gulf to Help Monitor Air Quality
June 8, 2010
A second NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft was deployed to the Gulf today to build on current air quality monitoring efforts near the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The NOAA plane will conduct two flights over and around the spill site to detect pollutants and their reaction products released into the atmosphere by the oil, as well as the pollutants and smoke from controlled burns. The flights will enable researchers to better understand the spill’s atmospheric effects. <more>
Viewing the Spill from Above - NOAA Pilot Eyes the Gulf Coast
June 2010
NOAA hurricane experts will visit five Gulf Coast cities aboard a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft to raise awareness about storm threats and the danger of being caught without a personal hurricane plan. The five-day tour begins April 26. <more>
Researchers get fly over look at Gulf Oil Spill (news story)
NOAA Looks at Spill (video)
The Tampa Tribune, News Channel 8
May 29, 2010
Hurricane Planes on Oil Spill Mission (story and video)
Tampa Bay Fox 13 News
NOAA Hurricane Team to Embark on Gulf Coast Awareness Tour
April 20, 2010
NOAA’s Lt. Cmdr. Kristie Twining has seen her share of important missions. From high above in her Twin Otter airplane, she and teams of NOAA scientists have tracked the migration of northern right whales, surveyed marine sanctuaries and collected air quality data from the atmosphere. <more>
NOAA Dispatches High-Tech Research Plane to Improve Winter Storm Forecasts
January 12, 2010
NOAA's Gulfstream IV aircraft, known for investigating Atlantic hurricanes, will begin flying over the North Pacific Ocean to fill gaps in atmospheric observations, which will enhance forecasts of winter storms for the entire North American continent through improved computer modeling. <more>
NOAA gets boost from stimulus
Trade Only Today - August 19, 2009
The federal government plans to invest millions of dollars to support efficient marine navigation and create jobs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. <more>
Bill Strengthens to Cat 4: NOAA Sends Hurricane Plane to Have a Look
Miami, FL (AHN)- Hurricane Bill strengthened to a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 135 miles per hour Wednesday morning, forcasters say they expect further strengthening over the next 24 hours.
A NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft is headed toward the storm to investigate Bill, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory. <more>
Reader's Digest, September 2009 Issue, "Into the Eye of a Hurricane"
It's August, storm season, and I'm with the storm watchers, flying high off the coast of the United States as a tropical tempest rages around us. As our plane breaks through the towering "eyewall," the dial on the digital wind-speed display drops to zero, the pelting of water on the wings comes to an eerie halt, the clouds fall away from the four huge engines, and suddenly it's as though we're floating peacefully in a snow globewithout the snow. I look up through a circular chimney of ashenclouds to blue sky. Below, though, in the Gulf of Mexico, huge waves are topped with white foam. <more>
HYDROPALOOZA - New Web Site
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are returning to Alaska´s Kachemak Bay in August to continue part two of a large-scale project called Hydropalooza to map Kachemak Bay´s seafloor and coastline. Teams will be working from ships, aircraft, and land, to bring Alaskans accurate data used to support safe maritime transportation, protect coastal communities, assess fisheries and critical marine habitats, and better understand the Bay.
Learn about the ocean and coastal operations taking place on the land, in the sea, and above the horizon and how mapping data can be used by so many people for so many different purposes.
NOAA Planes Get First-Hand Look at Felicia, Aircraft Fly as Close as 80-Miles from Storm's Eye (KITV-ABC Honolulu), August 8, 2009
Crews from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been circling Felicia, getting as close as 80 miles from the eye of the hurricane. It is the first storm tracking mission this year for a NOAA plane nicknamed "Gonzo," after its large beak. The Gulf Stream 4 departed the Honolulu International Airport just after 7 p.m. Friday to face off with Felicia.... <more>
NOAA Jet Aids In Felicia Forecast (KGMB-CBS Honolulu), August 7, 2009
A specially equip jet took off from Honolulu International Airport early Friday night headed for hurricane Felicia. Its eight hour mission is to collect the data on the storm's wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pressure and humidity...The jet is owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It flew from its base in Tampa, Florida specifically to help gather information on Felicia... <more>
Critical TV (3.0) Mention. Weather Channel Video Clip, August 14, 2008
... time to take a look at the tropics, and we have some activity to maybe not alert you too, but something you may want to keep watching. There are three different systems, all kind of following each other across the atlantic from east to west. We are in the time of the year when you have to watch these systems extremely close. Let's check the one that's closest to the Winward Islands and Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands right now. Actually a NOAA reconnaissance flight, research flight, is out in there right now.... <Go to Video Clip>
Hurricane Dolly Offers Silver Lining to Some Drought Stricken Texas Counties, July 25, 2008
The remnants of Hurricane Dolly have provided a mixed bag of damaging floods and welcome drought relief for residents of south Texas. <Read Full Story>
In the Eye of the Storm - Occupational Health & Safety, January 2008
St. Elmo's Fire, with its eerie emanations of iridescent hues, possesses a mystical quality for many. For centures, sailors either sought shelter or stood in awe of it. But for Greg Bast, the phenomenon is just another part of his job. <Read Full Story>
2008 Storm Flts - Tropical Storm Gustav Click to go to site
2008 Storm Flts - Tropical Storm Fay Click to go to site
Hunting a Hurricane . St. Petersburg Times, August 20, 2007 - Hurricane Hunter aircraft like this one take off from MacDill Air Force base in Tampa and fly straight into the most dangerous storms threatening the United States. <Read Full Story>
Kermit Braves the Cold ... Ocean Winds Winter Experiment
The Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) has been tasked to provide support for the 2007 Ocean Winds Winter Experiment. Ocean Winds is a continuing project who objective is to improve our understanding of satellite-based ocean wind retrievals in limiting environmental conditions. These include high winds and heavy precipitation. The experiment also seeks to determine how these wind retrievals change across sea surface temperature boundaries. NASA currently has a polar orbiting satellites aloft, QuikSCAT, doing surface wind retrievals, and AOC's WP-3D will be used in a cold weather environment to collect under-flight data with microwave scatterometers that will be used to validate the satellite measurements. The mission of AOC during this program will be to conduct airborne operations as required for the purpose of collecting data required to satisfy the objectives of Ocean Winds Winter. This AOC operations plan will deal with the manner in which it responds to these requirements and the methods used in performing the operation. In support of this program, the AOC will provide one WP-3D, N42RF (affectionately referred to as 'Kermit'), along with the necessary personnel to operate and maintain both the aircraft and the instrumentation used in the program. The aircraft will fly out of St. John's, Newfoundland Canada for approximately a 1-month period. <See Daily Updates>
NASA Peers Deep Inside Hurricanes - ScienceDaily, March 14, 2007
Determined to understand why some storms grow into hurricanes while others fizzle, NASA scientists recently looked deep into thunderstorms off the African coast using satellites and airplanes. <Read Full Story>
NASA Peers Deep Inside Hurricanes. Science Daily - Determined to understand why some storms grow into hurricanes while others fizzle, NASA scientists recently looked into thunderstorms off the African coast using satellites and airplanes. <Read Full Story>
NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP Hurricane Surveillance Jet Takes on Pacific Winter Storms to Improve Model Forecasts. Hawaii middle school teacher will be member of flight crew - in an effort to improve forecasts released 24-96 hours before a winter storm, NOAA deployed its high-altitude Gulfstream IV jet from a temporary base in Honolulu. The jet is acquiring atmospheric data from severe winter storms originating over the Pacific Ocean that will affect the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska. <Read Full Story>
The Gulfstream IV-SP Flies for Winter Storms
The NOAA G-IV high-altitude jet will depart for Honolulu on January 16th to serve the scientific interests of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) over the course of the next two months. While conducting the Winter Storms Reconnaissance (WSR-07) project, the aircraft will fly extended patterns over the north Pacific, launching numerous dropwindsonde atmospheric profiling devices to more accurately characterize the environment of developing winter cyclones and snow storms. Data from these expendable instruments will be screened aboard the aircraft by AOC meteorologists, transmitted to NCEP by satellite communication and used to initialize NOAA's most sophisticated forecasting models, to improve warnings of severe weather events. The NOAA G-IV crew will also measure concentrations of ozone on each flight for the Chemical Sciences Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory. <See Daily Updates>
Click here for Feb 16, 07 Press Release
Click here for Feb 20, 07 Press Release
King Aerospace to Build, Test Radar for NOAA Hurricane Hunter Aircraft
NOAA announced that it is exercising a contract option with King Aerospace Inc. of Addison, Texas, for the construction, integration and system testing for a tail Doppler radar, or TDR, to be installed on the agency's Gulfstream-IV hurricane surveillance aircraft. The option is valued at $3.1 million. "By installing the tail Doppler radar on the G-IV jet, NOAA will be taking a first step toward improving intensity forecasts," said Rear Admiral Samuel P. De Bow Jr., director of the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. "This ultimately will help forecasters save lives and property during hurricanes." With the TDR system, the G-IV will be able to acquire three-dimensional hurricane core wind field data. The raw radar data will be processed onboard the aircraft through quality-control software being developed by the NOAA Hurricane Research Division. <Read Full Story>
Hurricane Hunters, NOAA's Air Operations Center
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Air Operations Center at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa serves as home to the Hurricane Hunters. <Read Full Story >
Northern Flights - Aviation Week & Space Technology
Congress should increase the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) budget for unmanned aircraft and create a test bed in Alaska for integrating them into the national air space, argues the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). <Read Full Story >
NOAA - All About Snow Survey Flights
The purpose of a snow survey mission is to collect data that accurately measures the moisture content of soil or snow to aid in the timely forecasting and warning of spring snow melt flooding and the prediction of impacts to agriculture, water supply, and/or recreational activities. <Read Full Story on PAGE 8 >
NOAA Continues to Predict Above-Normal Hurricane Season
With the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season upon us, experts from NOAA are reiterating their prediction for an above-normal number of storms. NOAA scientists warn this year's relatively quiet start is not an indication of what the remainder of the season has in store. For the entire 2006 season NOAA is projecting a total of 12 to 15 named storms of which seven to nine will intensify to hurricanes, including three or four becoming major hurricanes-rated at Category 3 or higher. <Full Story Inside>
NOAA Concludes Successful Hurricane Awareness Tour
With the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season less than on month away, NOAA's 2006 Hurricane Awareness Tour came to a successful conclusion Friday in Tampa, Fla., delivering its message of the need for hurricane preparedness to thousands of visitors and media audiences. <Full Story Inside>
Relief Felt as Red River Flood Levels Begin to Decline
As the flood crest on the Red River of the North nears Pembina, N.D., and the Canadian border, emergency management officials, local governments and state and federal officials are breathing a collective sigh of relief as flood waters slowly decline in upstream areas. <Full Story Inside>
NOAA Flies to Alaska for Ocean Winds
On March 3rd, one of AOC's Lockheed WP-3D Orions, N42RF, returned from Anchorage, Alaska where it participated in the annual winter ocean winds experiment. <Full Story Inside>
The G-IV Tail Doppler Radar will Help to Support the National Weather Service Modeling Objectives
The G-IV tail Doppler radar will support the operational hurricane modeling objectives of the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Environmental Modeling Center and provide state of the art hurricane forecast guidance to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Tropical Prediction Center. <Full Story Inside >
NOAA Unveils Hurricane Katrina Web Site Capturing the Storm's Power and Aftermath
On August 29, 2005, A year to the day after Hurricane Katrina became the most destructive hurricane ever to strike the United States, NOAA launched a new Web site detailing the development of the storm, its power and destruction. The site also highlights NOAA's multi-faceted response to the storm's aftermath, including floods, testing fisheries, clearing waterways, identifying and cleaning up oil spills. <Read Full Story >
Researchers Study Formation of Hurricanes
August 28, 2006 - Reasons how and why some easterly African waves develop into hurricanes and some do not is still largely unknown. This earliest stage of intensity change is just one aspect that hurricane researchers with the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Fla., are studying this summer as a part of the Intensity Forecast Experiment, or IFEX. <Read Full Story >
Scientists Discover Zooplankton Species Key to Ocean Food Chain Census of Marine Life
Census of Marine Life scientists trawled rarely explored tropical ocean depths between the southeast US coast and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to inventory and photograph the variety and abundance of zooplankton - small sea "bugs" that form a vital link in the ocean food chain - and other life forms.... <Read Full Story at Mongabay.com>
Into the Eye of the Storm
NOAA goes hurricane hunting
Army Air Forces Colonel Duckworth was not amused. As World
War II raged overseas, the flight instructor at Bryant
Field in Texas has the unenviable task of teaching cocky
British pilots how to fly on instruments.... <Read Full Story at Military Officer >
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. <Full Story Inside >
NOAA Conducts Aerial Photography Missions over Regions Affected by Hurricane Wilma
Oct. 27, 2005 — NOAA posted online more than 1,500 aerial images of some of the regions that were affected by Hurricane Wilma. NOAA began aerial survey missions on Tuesday, which is the day after Hurricane Wilma made landfall as a major Category Three at approximately 6:30 a.m. EDT on Monday at Cape Romano 15 to 18 miles south-southeast of Naples, Fla., or about 20 miles west of Everglades City, Fla. <Full Story Inside >
NOAA Performs Aerial Survey of Regions Affected by Hurricane Rita
NOAA posted online more than 1,100 aerial images of the U.S. Gulf Coast areas in the path of Hurricane Rita. The images were taken by the NOAA Remote Sensing Division the day after the center of Rita made landfall at approximately 3:30 a.m. EDT on the extreme southwest coast of Louisiana between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson's Bayou in Louisiana.<Full Story Inside >
NOAA Hurricane Katrina Support Activities; Aerial Photography Flights Yield Thousands of Images
The day after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast NOAA began aerial photography flights of the affected areas. For nine days the NOAA Cessna Citation aircraft flew two to three missions each day only stopping to re-fuel.<Full Story Inside >
NOAA G-IV Flies Day and Night Missions in Hurricane Katrina
The NOAA G-IV high-altitude surveillance jet flew six full-endurance missions to support the track and intensity forecasting efforts of the National Centers for Environmental prediction (NCEP) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC).<Full Story Inside >
NOAA G-IV Jet Begins SALEX Research
Early in August, the AOC began flying a new research project for the NOAA Hurricane Research Division (HRD) of OAR, using the Gulfstream G-IV high-altitude jet to conduct missions in support of the Saharan Air Layer Experiment (SALEX). <Full Story Inside >
The Gulfstream Will Enhance Winter Storm Forecasting Throughout the US
NOAA's Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) aircraft has been tasked by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) to provide support for the Winter Storm Reconnaissance 2004 (WSR-04) mission during the period January 17 through March 15, 2004. <more>
NOAA Announces New International Monsoon Research Program
NOAA and Mexico's weather service, the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional, have joined forces to develop improved monsoon season forecasts. <Full Story Inside >
The Gulfstream IVSP Sees Inside Fabian
The NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) flew into the eye of Hurricane Fabian, a Category 4 storm, on September 1st, 2003. The aircraft launched from St. Croix at 1251 EDT and landed back in St. Croix at 1607 EDT. <more>
Bow Echo and Meso-Scale Convective Vortices Experiment
Fresh out of a major maintenance overhaul and fully instrumented by AOC engineers and technicians for severe storm research, a NOAA P-3 called Kermit deployed from its home at MacDill AFB to Mid America airport in western Illinois, just each of St. Louis, MO, on May 19th to participate in the Bow Echo and Meso-Scale Convective Vortices Experiment, known by the acronym Bamex. <more>
The Gulfstream IVSP Sees Inside Fabian
The NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) flew into the eye of Hurricane Fabian, a Category 4 storm, on September 1st, 2003. The aircraft launched from St. Croix at 1251 EDT and landed back in St. Croix at 1607 EDT. <more>
Bow Echo and Meso-Scale Convective Vortices Experiment
Fresh out of a major maintenance overhaul and fully instrumented by AOC engineers and technicians for severe storm research, a NOAA P-3 called Kermit deployed from its home at MacDill AFB to Mid America airport in western Illinois, just each of St. Louis, MO, on May 19th to participate in the Bow Echo and Meso-Scale Convective Vortices Experiment, known by the acronym Bamex. <more>
NOAA Scientists Participate in Snow Study to Improve Water, Weather and Climate Forecasts
For a second year, NOAA will again join university students and scientists from five federal agencies in the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment in the Colorado Rockies to study snowpacks from the ground, air and space in an effort to better understand water, weather and climate in cold land<more>
Ms. Piggy Returns Home From Bolivia
AOC's Lockheed WP-3D Orion N43RF, affectionaly known as Ms. Piggy, returned to its home base in Tampa in early February after completing a field program that took the aircraft and its crew afar. <more>
Tampa Bay Day
What do you get when you place the three largest NOAA offices in Tampa Bay together for a day of orientation, information sharing, and an afternoon at the beach? The foundation of a stronger, more corporate NOAA identity; something far greater than the sum of its parts in the region.<more>
Atlantic Right Whale Photogrammetry
In the study of biological systems we learn most about plants and animals buy collecting specimens of various ages, measure them weight them, check their sex, get their age at maturity, feed them and measure growth rates etc. <more>
NOAA
G-IV Winter Storms Reconnaissance Update
As
of February 9, 2003, the NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV)
has conducted five missions supporting the National
Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Winter Storms
Reconnaissance (WSR-03) operational effort in 2003. <more>
Winter
Storm Reconnaissance Program
In
the short, 0 48 hour lead time range forecasts over
the Pacific coastal area are adversely affected by the
sparsity of in situ observations over the upstream northeast
Pacific basin. The relative disadvantage of the west
coast areas arising from their geographical location
can be ameliorated by enhancements in the observational
network over the northeast Pacific. <more>
Snow
Survey in the Last Frontier
Beginning in 2002, the
NWS embarked on a ground-breaking survey in this country’s
49th state. Alaska became the newest addition to a long
list of states where snow is surveyed by an office of
the NWS called NOHRSC (National Operational Hydrologic
Remote Sensing Center). <more>
2002
Mid Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Aerial Surveys
Along the eastern seaboard of the United States there
exists a coastal migratory stock or population of bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This nomadic stock of
dolphins moves north and south along the coastline depending
on the season and water temperature. <more>
Hurricane Hunters Go Where Others Fear to Fly
Riding the storm out takes on a whole new meaning for a few admitted adrenaline junkies who take to the skies when a hurricane turns deadly and stare straight into the face of the danger... <more>
BRACE Study Launched to Determine Influence of Air Pollution on Water Quality in Tampa Bay
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that May 1 will begin a month-long series of intensive studies to determine the level of influence of nitrogen deposited into Tampa Bay from local and regional sources of air pollutants on water quality. <more>
Get
On Board The Hurricane Hunter
Imagine eight computer work stations linked to some of
the world's most advanced climate-probing equipment, slicing
through the air at low altitudes hammered by hurricane-force
winds, buffeted by blinding rain and breakneck ... <Read Full Story at ECSC Living in South Carolina >
NOAA
Experiment Aims to Improve Winter Storm Forecasts Along
West coast
High winds, heavy rain and extreme surf conditions have
already battered West Coast residents this winter, and
NOAA researchers hope a new experiment will give them
an edge over the storms. This week's experiment ... <Read Full Story at NOAA News >
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