Hurricane Hunters Visit Mobile

May 4th, 2006

The world famous Hurricane Hunters made a stop at Mobile Regional Airport to show the public how they carry out their brave missions. Guests were allowed to take a tour of the inside of the Lockheed WP- 3D Orion aircraft.

Specially equipped NOAA aircraft play an integral role in hurricane forecasting. Data collected during hurricanes by these high-flying meteorological stations and from a variety of other sources are fed into
numerical computer models to help forecasters predict how intense a hurricane will be, and when and where it will make landfall.

These computer models fulfill two important purposes: to help forecasters make accurate predictions during a hurricane; and to help hurricane researchers achieve a better understanding of storm processes, thereby improving their forecast models.

Also on hand was Escambia County, Florida's Hurricane Disaster Response Unit, a self-supporting mobile unit that can "operate" the Sheriff's Department anytime, anywhere.

The unit is capable of responding to a disaster anyone along the Gulf Coast.