Why does the Air Force purposefully fly planes into hurricanes? It all started back in 1943 when some WWII pilots figured, “Why not?!” and gave it a whirl. Fast forward, and now we’ve got the Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the Hurricane Hunters, voluntarily throwing themselves into the eye of the storm.
They use planes like the WC-130J Hercules and the NOAA’s P-3 Orion because, apparently, flying into the nastiest weather on the planet requires some heavy-duty machinery.
The main goal is to gather data — pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speeds — right from the belly of the beast, which helps improve weather forecasts and gives people more time to get outta Dodge. They chuck drop sondes into the storm, which send back priceless info as they plunge through the chaos.
Thanks to these modern-day storm chasers, we get more accurate warnings and scientists get valuable data to chew on. And to think, some of us won’t even drive in the rain.
