Weather events happen at unscheduled times. Hurricane Melissa became a named storm on Oct. 21, right in the middle of the federal government’s shutdown, but NOAA was there to support data collection for the storm, prioritizing public safety. During operations for Hurricane Melissa, NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew more than 100 hours to collect atmospheric data critical to improving hurricane forecasting and tropical cyclone research.
Throughout the missions, NOAA crews deployed more than 250 dropsondes and 12 uncrewed aircraft systems to measure key storm data, including wind speed, temperature and pressure. Among these, the Black Swift S0 uncrewed aircraft system set a record with a 120-minute flight at low altitudes within the storm environment.
Flights began on Oct. 22 to collect data for what became Hurricane Melissa to help improve forecasts and tropical cyclone research. Flights departed from the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, and typically lasted eight to nine hours.
The missions were flown primarily aboard one of NOAA’s WP-3D Orion aircraft, N42RF, known as “Kermit.” The aircraft has turboprop engines, a long-standing, proven technology in one of the world’s riskiest flight environments.
NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft are piloted and navigated by NOAA Corps officers and crewed by civilian engineers, meteorologists and technicians. Data collected from these missions will enhance understanding of tropical cyclone behavior and improve the accuracy of hurricane forecasts.
After the storm passed, NOAA was asked to support response efforts in Jamaica. NOAA’s King Air N65RF successfully completed nine aerial survey missions, providing critical support for disaster response and recovery efforts. Over the course of more than 55 flight hours, the aircraft captured high-resolution imagery across approximately 1,573 square miles (4,075 square kilometers), collecting nearly 15,000 image frames.