Hurricanes - Part 2

 Science Minute with Mary – Hurricane Hunters

What are Hurricane Hunters?

They are brave pilots and scientists from NOAA and the U.S. Air Force Reserve who fly specially equipped planes directly through hurricanes to gather important weather data.

✈️ How Do They Do It?

• They fly aircraft like NOAA’s Lockheed WP‑3D Orion (nicknamed Kermit and Miss Piggy), and the Air Force’s WC‑130J Hercules. These planes are flying science labs made for turbulence.

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• The team drops special weather instruments called dropsondes from the plane. As each dropsonde floats down with a parachute, it measures temperature, wind speed and direction, air pressure, and humidity—and sends this data back to the scientists onboard.

• The planes also collect radar and flight-level data during the flight, which is averaged and transmitted in real time to improve forecast models.

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🧠 Why Is This Important?

• Weather models that include Hurricane Hunter data can predict a storm’s path and strength more accurately, reducing forecast errors by up to 15–30%.

• This early, accurate information helps people know if they need to evacuate or prepare, keeping families and communities safe.

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🌀 Cool Facts for Kids

• Missions usually last 8–10 hours, flying through parts of the storm several times.

• Pilots say flying into a hurricane’s eyewall can feel like riding a roller coaster through a car wash—dark, windy, and wet!

• NOAA’s P‑3 planes each have fun nicknames (Kermit and Miss Piggy), and the high-altitude jet is called Gonzo.

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✅ Wrapping It Up

Hurricane Hunters take off into storms so scientists can learn how hurricanes behave. They collect real-time data that helps meteorologists predict where and when storms may be heading, and how strong they may get.

Want to discover even more fascinating stories from inside the storms?🔍 Visit MaryParkerScienceAdventures.com for more Safety Science Minutes and weather adventures!

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