They do what normal pilots try to avoid: US Air Force ‘Hurricane Hunters’ flew a special aircraft right into the eye of the massive hurricane ‘Beryl’, which is causing devastation in the southeastern Caribbean and is heading for Jamaica – and at the same time spectacular footage was captured (video above).
The video was produced by the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, known as the Hurricane Hunters. The squadron flies special WC-130J Super Hercules four-engine turboprop aircraft equipped with meteorological sensors.
Machines in the air for up to 18 hours
These include so-called drop probes, instruments that are dropped directly into the eye of the hurricane to examine data such as wind speed, air pressure and temperature. The special aircraft can stay in the air for almost 18 hours, allowing the crew to collect weather data and transmit it to ground stations for an extended period.
Hurricane heading for Jamaica
In less than 24 hours, ‘Beryl’ strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane this weekend – the first of the Atlantic hurricane season that began in early June. The cyclone was still spinning at 250 kilometres per hour on Friday, but then weakened from a level five to a level four over the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.
“Beryl” is heading toward Jamaica and continues to threaten several Caribbean islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC), based in Miami, Florida, said. Dangerous currents and heavy surf are expected in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and along the U.S. East Coast in the coming days. The cyclone has already caused devastation in the southeastern Caribbean in recent days, with several fatalities reported.
Hurricane season begins on May 15 in the Pacific and June 1 in the Atlantic, and ends on November 30 in both regions. Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. Increasing global warming increases the likelihood of severe storms.
Source: Krone
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