Hurricane Hunters fly into Tropical Storm Isaias

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) — Hurricane Hunters flew into Tropical Storm Isaias on Wednesday after launching from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. The crew gathered data sent to the National Hurricane Center as the storm moves closer to the Gulf Coast.

The crew flew a WC-130J Hercules about 700 miles southwest of Biloxi, approaching the storm from low altitude.

Second Lt. Andrew Wilson, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, said the data collected during the flights helps forecasters understand what is happening inside the storm.

“If we weren’t out here, we wouldn’t know what this storm is doing,” Wilson said. “You look at satellite imagery and you get an idea of where the storm is, but you don’t really know what exactly is going on inside the storm. We get the data, we send it off to the National Hurricane Center. Then they take all that data, they put it into the weather models and they’re able to give us an idea of what these storms are going to do.”

Lifesaving data

Wilson monitors data collected from instruments on the aircraft’s wings and from dropsondes launched into the storm.

“I’m newer to the squadron. It’s been an amazing thing to do,” Wilson said. “Every storm that I’ve been in, although I’ve only been in a few, has been different. This storm, it has its own things going on, too. We’ve definitely noticed it’s starting to get its act together a little bit.”

From WLOX meteorologist to Hurricane Hunter

Before joining the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Wilson worked as a television meteorologist at WLOX.

“I got to fly with the Hurricane Hunters as a media member,” Wilson said. “It was something I was always interested in. I interviewed for the job in November of 2018. I had just left WLOX. It’s been wonderful.”

Wilson said the public should pay attention to information released by his squadron and the National Hurricane Center.

“It’s really important people pay attention to the information we’re putting out and the National Hurricane Center is putting out, and listen to what they’re putting out. Follow the warnings by local meteorologists,” Wilson added.