HURRICANE HUNTERS

  • HOME
  • Cyberflight
    > Eye-to-Eye
  • Data
  • Events & PA
  • Gallery
  • Jobs
  • History
  • Stories
  • Background
  • FAQs
  • Ask Us
  • Links
  • Keith
  • Rosa
    • Eye to Eye with Michael

    click for bigger pic use BACK key to return here Good thing we're not a superstitious lot... when the Base Weather Station handed us a satellite picture of Tropical Storm Michael that looked like a skull. And it isn't even Halloween!

    The very first flight into this system was on Tuesday morning, October 17th. No one had yet flown into it, and the storm appeared to be strengthening, but sometimes these things don't behave like "classic" hurricanes when they form so far north (near 30 degrees, in this case). While some satellite estimates were as low as 30 knots of wind, some of the experienced Hurricane Specialists believed it was nearing hurricane strength, and awaited our measurements eagerly... who would be right?

    The forecasters' hunch was correct: we found a minimal hurricane brewing in the Atlantic. The sea surface here is barely visible in the misty low clouds, as we prowled as low as 500 feet above the surface. misty seas
    After mapping out all four sides of the storm, and taking readings in the center of the storm twice, we headed back home again, glad to have solved the mystery of "Just How Strong Is That Thing?", and also glad we weren't in the shoes of the next crew, who get to do this all over again--but all night long!

    Go to Rosa or 2000 Summary or return to Home