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Volunteers Work for NOAA to Ensure Hurricane Data Is Collected

Staffing cuts and a federal government shutdown are stretching scientists’ ability to make valuable hurricane observations.

Volunteers Work for NOAA to Ensure Hurricane Data Is Collected

Staffing cuts and a federal government shutdown are stretching scientists’ ability to make valuable hurricane observations.

What Was the Bumpiest Flight Ever on NOAA’s WP-3D Hurricane Hunter Aircraft?

Abstract Motivated by experiencing extreme turbulence during a mission into Hurricane Ian (2022), this research develops a novel “bumpiness index” to objectively quantify the three-dimensional turbulence felt by scientists, pilots, and crew members on NOAA’s WP-3D (hereafter P-3) Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft missions. The bumpiness is derived using physics first principles and accounts for translational and rotational accelerations about an aircraft’s three Cartesian axes. Since rotational motions are experienced differently depending on where someone is on a plane, the bumpiness index takes into account seat position. We then rank the bumpiest flights in recent history by gathering flight-level data from every tropical cyclone mission on the P-3 since 2004 when data needed from missions for this analysis became readily available as well as data from the infamous flights into Hurricanes Allen (1980) and Hugo (1989). Based on the maximum bumpiness value, the objective algorithm shows that the flight through Hurricane Hugo was the most turbulent ever with the flight into Hurricane Ian ranked second. The flight into Hurricane Hugo was unique because of the large accelerations associated with back–front motions, while the flight into Hurricane Ian was unique because of large accelerations associated with left–right motions. The next two bumpiest flights were in Hurricane Irma (2017) and Hurricane Sam (2021). Statistically, the bumpiest missions tend to be for stronger storms that will weaken in the subsequent 12 h. The largest values of bumpiness tend to be on the inner edge of the eyewall near a large gradient in radar reflectivity.

NOAA Hurricane Hunter layoffs threaten to degrade hurricane forecasts

A gap in flight director staffing could keep the planes earthbound at crucial times.

NOAA Hurricane Hunter layoffs threaten to degrade hurricane forecasts

A gap in flight director staffing could keep the planes earthbound at crucial times.