NOAA aircraft surveys snowpack to determine flood risk
After a significant Lake Erie lake effect snow event, a NOAA King Air 350CER flew several surveys on Nov. 22 and 23 near Buffalo in western New York.

After a significant Lake Erie lake effect snow event, a NOAA King Air 350CER flew several surveys on Nov. 22 and 23 near Buffalo in western New York.
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, a seafloor mapping and charting ship, completed a series of surveys in the Great Lakes in 2022. In all, the ship surveyed 450 square nautical miles of lake bottom in Lake Erie and 274 square nautical miles in Lake Ontario.
In 2022, NOAA divers with the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science's (NCCOS) Mussel Watch Program supported a seven-week sampling mission to determine the amount of contamination in the Great Lakes and its potential to damage ecosystem health. Learn more about the project in this NCCOS story.
On September 28, 2022, the crew of a NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft launched a 27-pound uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) into Hurricane Ian. The drone, an Area-I Altius-600, completed a two-hour mission. This was the first time an Altius-600 had been deployed into a hurricane.
On September 29, NOAA began collecting aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Imagery is being collected in specific areas by NOAA aircraft, identified by NOAA in coordination with FEMA and other state and federal partners. Collected images are available to view online. NOAA's aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm.
Civilian professional mariners play a critical role in the operation of NOAA's fleet of research and survey ships.
Five saildrones supported by NOAA's Uncrewed Systems Operations Center and NOAA's Weather Program Office will operate in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea in areas frequented by tropical storms and hurricanes. Learn more in this NOAA Research article.