JTWC Coordinates with CPHC and Hurricane Hunters for Hurricane Lane Near Hawaii

Personnel from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center had the opportunity to fly with the NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft out of Pearl Harbor, HI, into the approaching Hurricane Lane (14E). While flying several routes both around and through the hurricane, Hurricane Hunter aircraft deployed dropsondes and vertical radar to measure atmospheric parameters and storm structure, providing real-time information to forecasters. Atmospheric data is also ingested into numerical weather models, improving their accuracy. The Hurricane Hunters also fly a Gulfstream IV aircraft at higher altitudes above the convection of the storm. Additionally, an Air Force Reserve C-130 aircraft and NASA-operated DC-8 aircraft contributed to sampling Hurricane Lane, improving forecast accuracy and disaster preparedness for the Hawaiian Islands.