Tracking a Hurricane


Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force / Hurricane Hunters
The eye of a hurricane, as seen from the window of a hurricane-surveillance plane.
Hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise (west to east) and move through the ocean clockwise (east to west). In the Southern Hemisphere, hurricanes rotate clockwise (east to west) and move counterclockwise (west to east). These motions, known as the Coriolis effect, are caused by the Earth's rotation. To monitor and track the development and movement of a hurricane, we rely on remote sensing by satellites, as well as data gathered by the Hurricane Hunters.

The Hurricane Hunters are members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron/403rd Wing, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Since 1944, the U.S. Department of Defense (which oversees the U.S. military) has been the only organization to fly into tropical storms and hurricanes. Since 1965, the Hurricane Hunters team has used the C-130 Hercules, a very sturdy turboprop plane. The only difference between this plane and the cargo version is the specialized, highly sensitive weather equipment installed on the WC-130. The team can cover up to five storm missions per day, anywhere from the mid-Atlantic to Hawaii.


Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force / Hurricane Hunters
This WC-130H is one of the planes used by the Hurricane Hunters to fly into storms and hurricanes. The plane is equipped with special weather equipment to gather data inside the storm.

Weather satellites use different sensors to gather different types of information about hurricanes:

  • Visible - clouds, circulation patterns
  • Radar / Doppler radar - rain, wind speeds, precipitation amounts
  • Infrared - temperature differences, cloud heights

The Hurricane Hunters gather information about wind speeds, rainfall and barometric pressures within the storm. The information is relayed back to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL, where it is interpreted and distributed to national and local news media. The National Hurricane Center predicts the hurricane's movement and intensity using various weather models and issues hurricane watches and warnings to areas in the storm's path. Our modern system (tracking, early detection, warnings) has greatly reduced the loss of life during a hurricane.