Public Safety Video from NIFC on danger of UAS/drones near wildfires

When I wrote my two posts last week (June 24th and June 26th) about the danger of UAS/drones flying near wildfires, I did not know about this wonderful short public safety video produced by the National Interagency Fire Center. Thanks to the wonderful reporting of Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation, I only learned of this video just this morning (see Bill's June 26th post. Too bad that I only learned of this video after making those two posts on UAS/drones last week, the video would have made a nice companion to either article. Oh well, such is life.

The video is short, about 30 seconds, and well worth watching, and sharing. Note I updated the embed code for this video as the original code was no longer working.

direct link to video from NIFC on Youtube

Drones (UAS) shut down air operations over wildfires in San Bernardino NF (CA)

A few hours after I wrote if drones (uas) are flying near wildfires airtankers and helicopters can't fly on June 24th, a "hobby drone" was spotted over the Lake Fire (San Bernardino National Forest, CA) shutting down air operations over the fire, see the June 24th evening update from the Inciweb Lake Fire incident page {added on August 1, 2018, the Sterling Fire incident page is no longer available on Inciweb}.

CAL FIRE reported on their Facebook page on June 24th:

Tonight a hobby drone grounded firefighting aircraft by flying over the Lake Fire in San Bernardino County. When you fly...we CAN'T! Puts our pilots and firefighters lives at risk. Drones near wildfires are not safe.

As I understand it, the drone (UAS) was spotted around 5:30 PM local time on June 24th flying between two aircraft, an Air Tactical Group Supervisor and a lead plane. All aircraft (including air tankers) who had been working the Lake Fire that evening were grounded. See this article from KTLA 5 in Los Angeles for more information (including the video reporting on this incident which I hope is embedded below) on this incident. I understand from the KTLA 5 reporting that drone was flying at about 800 to 900 feet over the fire. Air operations over the Lake Fire resumed yesterday morning sometime after the video report was made.

You may also want to read an excellent article (dated June 25th) that just came to my attention by Jim Steinberg and Joe Nelson of the San Bernardino Sun discussing the danger drones (UAS) pose to air operations over wildfires, a discussion of the current FAA regulations affecting drones (UAS) and an interview with a drone operator. Steinberg's and Nelson's article (with video clip from Mike Eaton, US Forest Service Aviation Officer discussing the incident) may be found here.

Just last night (June 25, 2015), another drone (UAS) was spotted over the Sterling Fire in San Bernardino National Forest. According to the report on the Sterling Fire Inciweb incident main page on June 26th (10:26 AM) {added on August 1, 2018, the Sterling Fire incident page is no longer available on Inciweb}:

Drones temporarily halted tanker operations, but operations soon resumed. One drone was interfering with fire operations and has not been located. A second drone was reported by a concerned citizen and it was located. After reviewing the footage it was determined that it was not interfering with fire operations.

Updated on August 1, 2018 deleting dead links.

If drones (UAS) are flying near wildfires, airtankers and helicopters can't fly

downloaded from http://www.fs.fed.us/science-technology/fire/unmanned-aircraft-systems on June 24, 2015

Writing about the various in and outs of Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS (sometimes referred to as "drones" is beyond the means of this blog, at least at the moment. I'll post a couple of links where you can go for more information on UAS later. I do, however, want to point out that UAS flying in the airspace in or near wildland fires may shut down air operations, including but not limited to air tankers, helicopters, and lead planes. These pilots are already flying on the edge, in very dangerous condtions. Don't make an already dangerous situation even worse for the pilots. A collision with a drone/UAS could be fatal for the pilots. Don't fly your UAS/drone anywhere that is even remotely near a wildfire.  Just don't do it.  The US Forest Service has written some guidance on how UAS threatens wildland firefighter safety and aerial operations, that may be found here. Added on July 19, 2015. The US Forest Service has a webpage on Tips for Responisble Hobby or Recreational Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or "Drones" on National Forest System Lands. I just came across the webpage today and think that it fits in with this article.

The US Forest Service has a web page on Unmanned Aircraft Systems that includes a variety of links to information to the FAA. If you scroll part way down the page, you will see a section called "Hobby or Recreational Use of UAS on National Forest System Lands"(I got the graphic I shared here from that portion of the website).

Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation has written extensively on UAS, with a focus on UAS and wildland firefighting operations, here is a link for some of Bill's articles tagged Drone/UAV/UAS with the most current article at the top.

The FAA has a variety of information on UAS, and if you want some more information on safe operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a good place to start might be to watch a short video that the FAA produced on UAS operations. Other sources of information may be found at the FAA's UAS FAQ page.

Updated on August 1, 2018

Alaska Wildfire Updates (Monday June 22)

June 24, 2015 11:15 AM EDT

Some updates for you on the wildfires in Alaska that I have been following. Before I do so, I again refer you to the following site for information on other fires that are burning in Alaska: Alaska Wildland Fire Information, the Fire Information Map from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, and the latest daily situation report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center. In addition, you will want to check out Bill Gabbert's June 23rd article, "Alaska -- 46,000 lightning strikes and many fires"

Chisana River 2 Fire

I just went to the Chisana River 2 Fire's incident page on Inciweb to see that the latest update was posted at about 3 AM EDT on JUne 24th (estimated) where they are reporting that the fire has burned 35,000 in a limited protection area of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and they are estimating that the fire could grow by an additional "2-2,500 acres over the next two days." I am going to stop providing regular updates on this fire, but I will keep on eye on the Inciweb page to see what the fire is doing and report back here as appropriate.

Card Street Fire

The Card Street Fire remains at 7,352 acres burned with 25 percent containment as I write this update. Check out incident information in the Card Street from Inciweb. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today reports in a June 24th article about some of the difficulties wildland firefighters had fighting this fire.

Sockeye Fire

Good news on the Sockeye Fire. I see from yesterday's update (June 23rd) from Inciweb's Sockeye Fire page is at 90 percent containment. Acreage burned has been reduced to 7,220 acres after the completion of more mapping operations. Also see a June 23rd report on Alaska Wildland Fire Information

The Matanuska Susitna Bourough has completed damage assessment in the Borough; 55 residences were destroyed and 44 properties had some damage. See this report from Matanuska Susitan Bourough for more information.

I have no new information at the moment on the Tanana Slough (Dot Lake) Fire at the moment. The last update I have is the one I reported on below (on June 22nd) stating the fire was at 40 percent containment on June 20th.

I have been writing recently about some of the wildfires that have burned recently in Alaska, see for example my post of June 19th. I continue with this today. Please note that when I am refering to inciweb incident pages, that I am linking to the current page, which changes as these inciweb pages are updated, so there may a discrepency with the acreage that I report in an article and that listed on Inciweb, the latest acreage on Inciweb will be the correct acreage.

These are but four of many other fires burning in Alaska, for more information about the fires that I am not reporting on here, please see Alaska Wildland Fire Information, the Fire Information Map from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, and the latest daily situation report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center


June 22, 2015 3:30 PM EDT

Chisana River 2 Fire

At the time that I write this on Monday June 22nd at 3 PM EDT, Inciweb is reporting on their Chisana River 2 Fire incident page (last updated June 21st, about 8 PM EDT) that the fire has burned 28,889 acres in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, with an increase in acreage burned of about 18,00 acres since I last reported on the fire on June 19th. According to the incident overview:

The fire is burning in a limited protection area and no suppression efforts taken thus far. Federal land managers have opted to let the fire take its natural course, as fire in the boreal forest of Alaska is an essential process that restores ecosystem health and helps to maintain species diversity.

Card Street Fire

As of Monday, June 22nd (3 PM EDT) the Card Fire has burned 7,352 acres according to the latest incident information from Inciweb (updated about 2PM EDT on June 22nd) and is at 25 percent containment.

I thought you might enjoy these videos from the Alaska News Dispatch that they posted on Youtube. In addition to their great videos, the Alaska News Dispatch (ADN) is a good source of current information about any wildfires burning in and around Anchorage, AK. You will see an Airtanker and  helicopter with bucket working the fire in the first video. In the second video you will see ground crews doing a controlled burn. Both videos were uploaded on June 17, 2015.


direct link to ADN video on Youtube


direct link to ADN video on Youtube

Sockeye Fire

Wildland firefighters, assisted by Airtankers and Helicopters, have made progress. As I write this article at 3 PM on June 22nd, the Sockeye Fire is at 7 percent containment having burned 7,264 acres. Evacuations have been lifted and ground crews and aircraft are being released to other fires. The last Inciweb incident update for this fire was updated on June 22nd about 1 PM.

Here is a video from the Alaska News Dispatch you might enjoy.


direct link to ADN video on Youtube

Tanana Slough Fire (near Dot Lake)

The last update I have about this fire is from Alaska Wildland Fire Information on June 20, 2015 reporting that this 730 acre wildfire was at 40 percent containment on June 20th.

Alaska wildfires -- updates

June 24, 2015, 10:50 AM

Please note that when I am refering to inciweb incident pages, that I am linking to the current page, which changes as these inciweb pages are updated, so there may a discrepency with the acreage that I report in an article and that listed on Inciweb, the latest acreage on Inciweb will be the correct acreage.

Unfortunately, when I posted this on June 19th at both 10:15 AM and 4:20 PM, I probably failed to notice updates in acreage burned in the Chisana River 2 Fire, which as I write this update has burned 35,000 acres in the Wrangall-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, in a limited protection area. The latest information on this fire, which changes with each update, may be found on the Chisana River 2 Fire's incident page on Inciweb. I will make some more updates to this and the other wildfires in Alaska that I have been following here, in a little while.

June 19, 4:20 PM, EDT

Card Fire A little while ago I was on Inciweb and checked out their latest incident page on the Card Fire to find out that due to better mapping the current estimate of acreage burned is 7,578 acres. Both KTUU and KTVA have updated their reports to reflect the current estimate of 7,578 acres burned, both are stating that an official from the Alaska Division of Forestry provided an estimated acreage burned figure of 4,400 acres highers, perhaps in error.

No new updates on the Sockeye Fire, the Chisana River 2 Fire or the Tanana Slough Fire (Dot Lake) Fire.

June 19, 10:15 AM, EDT

I wrote about the Sockeye Fire (burning in Willow Alaska) on June 15 (with updates on June 16th and June 17th) and I wrote about the Card Fire burning near Sterling Alaska on the Kenai Pensulia on June 17th (along with the Tanana Slough Fire and the Chisana River 2 Fire). There are other wildfires currently burning in Alaska, I focus here on the ones that I have already written about. See Alaska Wildland Fire Information for information on these and other wildfires burning in Alaska

Wondering about the Airtankers from Canada and the United States working the wildfires in Alaska? Then you will want to see Bill Gabbert's reports on Fire Aviation. In a June 17th article Bill reports on Fire Aviation that Canada sent seven Air Tankers to Alaska with Alberta sending a Convair 580 and four CL-215Ts (scoopers) while British Columbia sent two Convair 580s. On June 18th, Bill reported in Fire Aviation that the three Air Tankers from the United States are in Alaska: RJ85 T-160 from Aero-Flite, BAe-146 T-10 from Neptune Aviation, and MD87 T-101 from Aero Air.

Card Fire

As I write this, the Card Fire both KTUU (with photos) and KTVA (with photos) (both are in Anchorage, Alaska) are reporting that the fire has burned 12,000 acres and is not contained. Evacuations are in places with reports that 11 structures have been burned. Firefighters on the ground have been aided by Airtanker and helicopters dropping on the fire. I have seen photos on both KTUU and KTVA of Neptune Aviations BAe-146 T-10 dropping on the fire and a helo and bucket. I expect that there are other tankers and helos working the fire.

Inciweb now has an incident page devoted to the Card Fire where as I write this the last update reports that the fire has burned 9,000 acres.


direct link to KTVA video on Youtube (published on June 17, 2015)


Sockeye Fire

Meanwhile the acreage burned by the Sockeye Fire has been reduced to 7,066 acres due to better mapping of the fire according to the latest update on Inciweb's incident page for the Sockeye Fire, the fire is at 5 percent containment. Also see reports on the Sockeye Fire from KTUU (with photos and a map) and KTVA (with photos and maps of the Sockeye Fire)

Chisana River 2 Fire in the Wrangaell-St.Elias National Park and Preserve has now burned 10,142 acres according to the latest report from Inciweb.

Finally, Alaska Wildland Fire Information reported on June 18th that the Tanana Slough Fire (Dot Lake has burned 718 acres and is 30 percent contained.

Other wildfires in Alaska

As I had been following the Sockeye wildfire near Willow Alaska (35 to 40 miles north of Anchorage), I got interested in some of the other wildfires currently burning in Alaska. So, I thought I'd write about some of the wildfires here.

I found information on the fires that I mention in this article from Alaska Wildland Fire Information, among other places. I also found information for somethe Card Street Fire and the fire burning near Dot Lake from the Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry Facebook page as well as the Alaska Interagency Management Team Facebook Page

Card Street Fire


direct link to video from KTVA on Youtube

The Card Street Fire started on the afternoon of June 15th, and as burned an estimated 2,000 acres to date. The Card Street Fire is burning near the town of Sterling on the Kenai Pensula about 55 miles southwest of Anchorage, evacuations are in place. I understand that Airtankers dropped on the fire.

• Alaska Wildland Fire Information (June 16th article) -- Card St. Fire
• I first learned about the Card Street Fire from Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today on June 16th (that he has updated).
• Alaska Dispatch News has a nice article (with photos) on the Card Street Fire by Laurel Andrews, Megan Edge, and Alex DeMarban dated June 16, 2015
• KDVA 11 in Anchorage has a report on the fire (updated June 17th, 11 AM local time)with a video (embedded above), a map, and photos.

Tanana Slough Fire

The Tanana Slough Fire was started by lightning on Sunday June 14, 2015 according to the Alaska Wildland Fire Information report on June 16th. It is near Dot Lake, which is near Tok Alaska. Also see this article from the Alaska Republic. To date this fire has burned approximately 500 acres.

Chisana River 2 Fire

The Chisana River 2 Fire (25 miles west of Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada) in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has burned 8,668 acres.

• Alaska Wildland Fire Information (June 16th article) - Chisana River 2 Fire
• Inciweb incident page for the Chisana River 2 Fire

Sockeye Fire near Willow Alaska

June 17 at 4:20 PM EDT
Both Inciweb and Alaska Wildland Fire Information (report of June 17th) are saying that 7,555 acres have burned to date. Updates from KTVA 11 (maps, photos, etc) and KTUU. As many as 50 residences may have been burned in the fire. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Alaska)  continues to have special page devoted to the Sockeye Fire (I don't know how long the Borough will maintain this webpage once the threat to their community is over). Evacuations continue, and there will be a community meeting tonight.

June 16, 2015 at 3:10 PM EDT
I have read reports that the Sockeye Fire was grown to between 7,500 and 7,600 acres. For example Sockeye Fire information available on the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center's Fire Information Mapping page (I clicked on "Sockeye Fire") reported earlier this morning that 7,512 acres have burned. You might also want to see the reporting of two media outlets in Anchorage, AK: KTTU reporting on Sockeye Fire and KTVA11's report on the Sockeye Fire. By the way, both of these media outlets have done a good job of reporting on the Sockeye Fire.

As I write this update, Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Alaska)  has a special page devoted to the Sockeye Fire, they reported earlier today (June 16th)  that the Alaska Division of Forestry estimates that the Sockeye fire has burned 7,585 acres.

There are some freely available pages on Facebook that some of you might be interested that have information on the Sockeye Fire:

• A Facebook page for the Sockeye Fire
• The Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team has a Facebook page. They report on the Sockeye Fire on their Facebook page as well as other wildfires in Alaska as well as other important news pertaining to wildfires in Alaska such as fire weather conditions.
• Alaska DNR of Forestry also reports on wildfires in Alaska including but not limited to the Sockeye Fire.
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough's Facebook page

direct link to video

June 15, 2015 2 PM EDT

The Sockeye Fire near Willow Alaska (35 to 40 miles north of Anchorage Alaska in or near the Mat - Su Area Forest) was first reported about 1 PM (local time) on June 14, 2015, quickly burning 6,500 acres. I understand that evacuations are in place According to information obtained from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center's Fire Information Mapping page (I clicked on "Sockeye Fire") 45 structures have been burned including about 20 primary residences. Shelters for those who have evacuated have been set up. Helicopters with buckets, Single-Engine Airtankers (SEATs), and larger airtankers are working the fire. The latest information on the Sockeye Fire from inciweb may be found here.

CBS2-KTTU in Anchorage, AK is covering this wildfire. As I write this, their latest report (with a video and photographs) was posted on June 15, 2015 at 8 AM local time and may be found here. I found a report on the fire from NBC News dated June 15th (with video, photos, and updates), they report that crews from the lower 48 (United States) are on their way to Alaska to help fight this wildfire. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today is reporting on the fire in a June 15th post.

NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul (6 of 6)

As I was scouring the doing my background research gathering information about NOAA's Hurricane Hunting aircraft I did various internet searches. Sometimes I do such searches and I luck out and find some good reliable information that I was not looking for. Such was the case a couple of weeks when I found a media report dated August 2014 from the Tampa (FL) Tribune reporting that both of NOAA's WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunters will be getting major overhauls over the next couple of years. As some of you may already know, the US Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (with their 10 C130-J Hurricane Hunters) does most of the reconnaissance work of flying into hurricanes and gathering data on the hurricanes.

Back to the overhaul, the Tampa Tribune reported on August 14, 2014 (and I later found a few other references from other media outlets) that the $35 million overhaul will include new wings, refurbished engines, radar upgrades and new avionics. Only one WP-3D will be out of commission at one time, leaving one in service (here is an excerpt from Harold Altman's August 14, 2014 article in the Tampa Tribune:

Aside from new, nearly 100-foot-long wings, the planes, which have each flown more than 10,000 hours a piece and into more than 80 hurricanes each, will be getting refurbished engines and upgraded radar and avionics, says McFadden (Jim McFadden is NOAA's chief of operations at MacDill Air Force Base where NOAA has its Aircraft Operations Center) 

The upgraded tail Doppler radar will have higher resolution data than the current system, while the lower fuselage will have better video processors. The combination will allow the planes to provide quality data, says McFadden. 

'The goal is to keep these planes flying for another 15 to 20 years,'  he says.

Before writing this article, I did another more focused internet search and came across a more current report on the overhaul of NOAA's WP-3D Orions reported on May 26, 2015 report on Bay News 9 (the article is by Tamara Lush of the Associated Press). Lush reports on the installation of the refurbished engines in "Miss Piggy" with photos. Meanwhile "Kermit" is getting new wings at at a Naval Station in Jacksonville. So, "Miss Piggy" will be flying this year (2015) while "Kermit" gets his new wings and next year (2016) it is "Miss Piggy's turn to get new wings.

_____________________

Now that I know a little more about Hurricane Hunters (from NOAA and the USAF Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron), I do plan on trying to learn even more about what these magnificent aircraft and their crew do as they fly into hurricanes. As I learn more I'll report back here.

Septeber 10, 2016: updated outdated links

Other articles in this series:
Part 1 (June 1): Hurricane Hunters: Introduction
Part 2 (June 3): From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsondes, and the G-IV
Part 3 (June 5): A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission
Part 4 (June 8): more pictures and videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
Part 5 (June 10): A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data

A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data (5 of 6)

If you have been following along on my articles on Hurricane Hunting aircraft then you know that Hurricane Hunters are flown by NOAA and those flown by the USAF Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.  In the course of doing background research for these articles, I got interested in how the National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses the reconnaissance data gathered by the NOAA and the USAF Hurricane Hunter aircraft when they fly into tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. 

Before beginning, my focus in this article continues to be on Hurricane Hunting aircraft. If you are interested in learning more about what the work of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) you might want to check out NHC's virtual tour in eight parts. You might also want to look at the NHC’s 2015 Hurricane Preparedness Week presentations. If you are arriving at this article first and want a good overview about what NOAA's Hurricane Hunters do and to learn about the dropsonde instrument that is dropped from the belly of the plane into the hurricane to measure some weather perimeters go and watch this five and a half minute video produced by the City of Tampa (FL).

Knowing that the NHC has an entry page for archives of past hurricanes, I scrolled to the section of the page for “Tropical Cyclone Advisory Archives.” I am using Sandy (2012) here. So I selected 2012 in the drop down box which lead me to the 2012 Tropical Cyclone Advisory Archive page. From the column reading “Atlantic”, I clicked on Hurricane Sandy. This leads me to a page with a full listing of all of NHC products for Hurricane Sandy: forecast advisories, public advisories, discussions and wind speed probabilities as well as a link to a graphics archive. The products that I am referring to here are found under “discussions” with a couple being "public advisory updates.”

What follows is a listing from some of the NHC discussions and a couple of public advisory updates referencing Hurricane Hunter aircraft observations (with links). I picked out NHC products that interested me because of the reference to the Hurricane Hunters. Some of the points that I was interested in were: a change in strength, a change in direction, land strike, etc. Sandy was not the strongest Hurricane that the Hurricane Hunters flew into, at her height she was a category two and that was bad enough. Sandy interested me because she made landfall in New Jersey (as a post-tropical cyclone) causing severe impacts region-wide. Certain aircraft observations from each NHC discussion or public advisory update referenced are indicated in red.

• Hurricane Sandy discussion #2 Mon Oct 22 2012, 5:00 PM EDT: "THE AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTERS FOUND A BAND OF SURFACE WINDS NEAR 35 KT OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF THE CYCLONE...SO THE SYSTEM IS BEING NAMED AT THIS TIME."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #7 Tues Oct 23 2012, 11:00 PM EDT:  "REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT SHOW THAT SANDY IS STRENGTHENING.  THE AIRCRAFT REPORTED 850-MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 65 KT AND SFMR SURFACE WIND ESTIMATES NEAR 50 KT.  THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 989 MB.  BASED ON THESE DATA...THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS RAISED TO 50 KT.  THE AIRCRAFT ALSO REPORTED THAT A RAGGED EYE WAS FORMING."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #9 Wed. Oct 24 2012, 11:00 AM EDT:  "DATA FROM THE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT SANDY HAS REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH. THE AIRCRAFT JUST MEASURED A PEAK 700-MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WIND OF 86 KT...AND BLENDING THAT WITH THE PEAK SFMR WINDS YIELDS AN INITIAL INTENSITY OF 70 KT. THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAS ALSO FALLEN TO 973 MB BASED ON DATA FROM THE PLANE."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #11 Wed Oct 24 2012, 11:00 PM EDT: "CUBAN RADAR DATA AND REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT SANDY IS BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED THIS EVENING.  THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAS FALLEN RAPIDLY TO 954 MB... AND A 20-25 N MI WIDE EYE HAS DEVELOPED."
• Hurricane Sandy public advisory update Thurs. Oct 25 2012, 12:30 AM EDT EDT: "RECENT REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE HURRICANE SANDY HAS RAPIDLY STRENGTHENED...AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NOW ESTIMATED TO BE 110 MPH...175 KM/H. THIS MAKE SANDY A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #12 Thurs. Oct. 25 2012, 5:00 AM EDT: "EARLIER THIS MORNING...SANDY MADE LANDFALL JUST WEST OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA AS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. CUBAN RADAR DATA AND REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATED THAT SANDY HAD A WELL-DEFINED 20-24 N MI DIAMETER EYE WHEN IT MADE LANDFALL. THE AIRCRAFT REPORTED MAXIMUM 700-MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 117 KT AND BIAS-CORRECTED SFMR SURFACE ESTIMATES OF 91-92 KT."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #15 Thurs. Oct. 25 2012, 11:00 PM EDT: "REPORTS FROM A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT SANDY HAS WEAKENED A LITTLE THIS EVENING.  THE MAXIMUM FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS AT 8000 FT WERE 90 KT...AND DROPSONDES IN WHAT REMAINED OF THE EYEWALL SUGGESTED 70 KT SURFACE WINDS.  THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAD RISEN TO 968 MB."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #27 Sun. Oct 28, 2012, 11:00 PM EDT: "THE CONVECTION NEAR THE CENTER OF SANDY HAS BECOME A LITTLE BETTER ORGANIZED THIS EVENING...WITH A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT REPORTING A 25-35 MILE WIDE EYE WITH AN OPEN EYEWALL.  HOWEVER...THE STRONGEST WINDS IN THE STORM ARE NOT OCCURRING IN THE EYEWALL...AS THE NOAA AND AIR FORCE RESERVE AIRCRAFT FOUND A LARGE AREA OF AT LEAST 60 KT SURFACE WINDS ABOUT 100-120 N MI SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER.  IN ADDITION...THE AIR FORCE PLANE REPORTED 700-MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 102 KT. BASED ON THESE DATA...THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS REDUCED TO 80 KT...AND THIS COULD BE A LITTLE GENEROUS."
• Hurricane Sandy discussion #29 Mon Oct. 29 2012, 11:00 AM EDT: "SANDY IS MAINTAINING A SMALL AREA OF DEEP CONVECTION NEAR THE CENTER...WITH BOTH AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT DATA AND VARIOUS MICROWAVE SATELLITE DATA INDICATING A 20 N MI DIAMETER EYE HAS DEVELOPED SINCE THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY. … SANDY HAS BEGUN ITS ANTICIPATED LEFT TURN AND THE INITIAL MOTION IS NOW 335/11.  THE HURRICANE SHOULD CONTINUE A GENERAL NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO AS IT INTERACTS WITH A MID/UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS.  AFTER THAT...A DEEP-LAYER LONGWAVE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE EASTERN UNITED STATES SHOULD CAUSE SANDY TO TURN NORTHWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD. "
• Hurricane Sandy public advisory update Oct 29 2012, 8:00 PM EDT: "SURFACE...RADAR...AND AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT DATA INDICATE THAT POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE SANDY MADE LANDFALL NEAR ATLANTIC CITY NEW JERSEY AROUND 800 PM EDT...0000 UTC...WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 80 MPH...130 KM/H. NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE TIDE GAUGES HAVE RECENTLY REPORTED STORM SURGE HEIGHTS OF 11.9 FEET AT KINGS POINT NEW YORK...8.4 FEET AT THE BATTERY NEW YORK...AND 8.6 FEET AT SANDY HOOK NEW JERSEY. WITHIN THE PAST HOUR OR SO...A SUSTAINED WIND OF 49 MPH WITH A GUST TO 73 MPH WAS REPORTED AT JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN NEW YORK. A WIND GUST TO 71 MPH WAS RECENTLY OBSERVED AT FARMINGDALE NEW YORK. "

The Hurricane Hunters fed their data to the NHC. My local NWS office, the US National Weather Service at Mt. Holly got data (all of which is public data) on Sandy from the NHC and were in telephone contact with National Hurricane Center (NHC) as needed. Emergency managers heeded the warnings issued by the National Weather Service at Mt. Holly and issued evacuation orders for the barrier islands off the New Jersey Coast with roads to and from the barrier islands being closed well in advance of Sandy's landfall. Most businesses and schools in New Jersey and adjoining areas of New York were closed on the 29th. The New York City subway system was shut down on 7 PM on October 28, 2012. In New Jersey, Gov. Christie declared a State of Emergency in New Jersey on Oct. 27, 2012

I was well inland. I knew from the NHC advisories and forecasts from the NWS Mt. Holly that Sandy was a large storm with high winds (in excess of 58 mph) that would reach inland to where I was in the northwestern section of NJ. So on the 26th and the 27th I prepared and was glad that I did. We hunkered down and eleven days later we had our electrical power back (our power went out at 8:30 PM on the 29th). As most of you know, New Jersey and adjoining areas of New York were hit extremely hard by Sandy. It would have been a whole lot worse without the hurricane advisories and forecast discussions from the NHC as well as the forecasts and warnings from the NWS Mt. Holly. A lot of lives were saved because of the work of the Hurricane Hunters, the NHC, and the US National Weather Service at Mt. Holly.

Thank-you Hurricane Hunters!

Thank-you National Hurricane Center!

Thank-you US National Weather Service at Mt. Holly!

For those who are interested: The US National Weather Service at Mt. Holly has some archived data on Sandy:

• Summary and records (rainfall, peak wind, minimum pressure, storm surge)
• Radar images, storm summary, etc (includes links to still more information on Sandy)
• Link to Mt Holly Event Archive Page, click on 2012 under the graphic, then the link for Oct 29 - Super Storm Sandy (includes some of the information linked to above)

Septebmer 10, 2016: outdated links removed, other outdated links have been updated

Other articles in this series:
Part 1 (June 1): Hurricane Hunters: Introduction
Part 2 (June 3): From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsondes, and the G-IV
Part 3 (June 5): A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission
Part 4 (June 8): more pictures and videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
Part 6 (June 12): NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul

More pictures and videos of NOAA's hurricane hunters (4 of 6)

More videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters in Action. Articles on ll the Hurricanes referenced in these videos may be found on on the NHC page on notable Hurricanes in History. the National Hurricane Center maintains an extensive archive of hurricane data, advisories, tracks, maps, etc that you may access from the NHC Data Archives.

Flying into Hurricane Gilbert (1988) Wikipedia on Hurricane Gilbert

direct link to video

Hurricane Rita (2005) Wikipedia on Hurricane Rita

direct link to video

Hurricane Wilma (2005) Wikipedia on Hurricane Wilma

direct link to video


Other articles in this series:
Part 1 (June 1): Hurricane Hunters: Introduction
Part 2 (June 3): From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsondes, and the G-IV
Part 3 (June 5): A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission
Part 5 (June 10): A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data
Part 6 (June 12): NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul

A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission (3 of 6)

A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission through videos and pictures

About the WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter from the City of Tampa

direct link to video

Flying into Hurricane Irene with ABC Action News (Tampa FL)

direct link to video

Two videos: flying through Katrina eyewall

In this video, from the Weather Channel, you will here a C130-J Hurricane Hunter pilot from the US Air Force 53rd Weather Squadron talk about flying into the eye of a hurricane, in this case Katrina. I am including it here because I like the discussion of some of the issues facing pilots of any Hurricane Hunter as the fly into the eye of a hurricane.

direct link to video

Short video showing the flight of one of NOAA's WP-3D's into Katrina’s eyewall.

direct link to video


Jim of Extreme Storms flies into Ophelia (2005) on NOAA’s WP-3D Hurricane Hunter “Miss Piggy”. He writes of his experience on this flight with pictures.


Other articles in this series:
Part 1 (June 1): Hurricane Hunters: Introduction
Part 2 (June 3): From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsondes, and the G-IV
Part 4 (June 8): more pictures and videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
Part 5 (June 10): A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data
Part 6 (June 12): NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul

From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsnodes, and the Gulfstream-IV (2 of 6)

This is some nice footage from the NOAA B Roll (credit to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration {NOAA}) focusing NOAA Hurricane Hunter Aircraft. You will see footage (inside and outside) of the WP-3D Orion including some footage shot from inside the cockpit. You will also see an animation showing an Orion's flight path and dropsonde deployments in the eye of a hurricane. In addition the crew talks about the deployment of the dropsondes. Finally there is some footage of the Gulfstream including footage shot from inside the Gulfstream (cockpit and meteorolgy stations).

As I understand it. the WP-3D Orions fly inside the hurricane at altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 feet while the Gulfstream flys at high altitudes from 40 to 45,000 feet. The meteorological and science data from the Orion and the Gulfstream is transmitted (in flight, encoded) directly back to the National Hurricane Center where they interpret the data for inclusion in Tropical Storm or Hurricane advisories, forecasts, and forecast discussions.

This video is about NOAA's Hurricane Hunters. The C-130 Hurricane Hunters from the US Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron also transmit their data back to the National Hurricane Center while they are in flight.


direct link to video

Note: NOAA B Roll is footage of NOAA research and other activities produced and distributed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). See the about NOAA B Roll on Youtube for more information.

September 10, 2016: outdated links updated


Other articles in this series:
Part 1 (June 1): Hurricane Hunters: Introduction
Part 3 (June 5): A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission
Part 4 (June 8): more pictures and videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
Part 5 (June 10): A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data
Part 6 (June 12): NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul

NOAA's Hurricane Hunters: Introduction (1 of 6)

I recently wrote about the Hurricane Hunters of the US Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (see my May 20th article for more information and links). As some of you know, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has its own Hurricane Hunters. Today I start a multi-part series on NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters. Please take a few moments to watch this short video about NOAA's Hurricane Hunters.

direct link to video

NOAA's Hurricane Hunters are two Lockheed WP-3D Orions, known as “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit” and a Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) based in Tampa FL at the NOAA’s Aircraft Operation Center on the Mac Dill Air Force Base.

Obtained on May 31, 2015 from http://www.noaa.gov/features/03_protecting/hurricanehunterstory_2012.html 

Recall that the  C-130s of the US Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron fly hurricane reconnaissance missions.  NOAA's two WP-3D does some hurricane reconnaissance missions but their primary mission during the hurricane season is hurricane research. The WP-3D Orions have four turbo prop engines and are equipped with special weather equipment. According to NOAA’s information page on the Lockheed WP-3D Orion, a typical crew consists of “2 Pilots, Flight Engineer, Navigator, Flight Director (meteorologist), 2 or 3 Engineering/Electronic specialists, Radio/Avionics specialist, and up to 12 Scientist or Media personnel”, this same link has more specs and a listing of the special weather equipment on the WP-3D.

The red mission badges represent the Hurricanes (name and year) she flew. The flags are the countries she has been to.
Obtained on May 31, 2015 from http://www.noaa.gov/features/03_protecting/hurricanehunterstory_2012.html (Note: link was active at time I obtained this photo, no longer active link as of 9/10/2016)

NOAA’s webpage on the Gulfstream IV-SP G-IV provides specs on this aircraft, equipment, and a listing of the crew positions. On a typical hurricane mission NOAA’s G-IV flies with a crew of nine: 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer/mechanic, 1 flight meteorologist (flight director), 1 High Attitude Profiling System (HAPS) system operator and 3 Engineering Technicians/Dropwindesonde (Sonde) system operators.

My understanding is that one of NOAA’s WP-3D and the Gulfstream IV-SP pair up while flying a hurricane mission. The G-IV will fly over the hurricane at a high altitude (the ceiling of the G-IV is 45,000 ft) while the WP-3D will penetrate the hurricane at an altitude of anwhere from 1,500 to 10,000 feet. The WP-3D will make multiple penetrations of the hurricane eye. Hurricane missions are of long duration, lasting for up to eight to nine hours. You might be interested in reading a nice short description of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters that may be found here.

Coming up:

Part 2 (June 3): From NOAA about the WP-3D, dropsondes, and the G-IV
Part 3 (June 5): A little more about the WP-3D Hurricane Hunter mission
Part 4 (June 8): more pictures and videos of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
Part 5 (June 10): A small taste of how the NHC uses Hurricane Hunter aircraft data
Part 6 (June 12): NOAA's WP-3Ds undergoing major overhaul

June 12, 2015. Now that I know a little more about Hurricane Hunters (from NOAA and the USAF Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron), I do plan on trying to learn even more about what these magnificent aircraft and their crew do as they fly into hurricanes. As I learn more I'll report back here.

September 10, 2016 Outdated link on page removed and other links updated

Thank-you Hurricane Hunters!!