April 12, 2024
With the 2024 hurricane season fast approaching, NOAA and the US Air Force Reserve will host a series of events to help Caribbean communities prepare.
National Hurricane Center personnel along with others, will visit vulnerable communities to discuss hurricane preparedness, resilience, and how people can become weather-ready ahead of hurricane season.
Tours of the Air Force Reserve Command’s WC-130J “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft will showcase how scientists collect data about hurricanes.
During hurricanes, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aircrews with the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, fly state-of-the-art WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft directly into the core of the storm to gather critical data for forecasting a hurricane’s intensity and landfall. This information is sent in real-time via satellite from the aircraft directly to the NHC for analysis and use by hurricane forecasters.
The tour stops include:
April 16 – 9 am to 2:30 pm – Lynden Pindling International Airport, Nassau, Bahamas
April 18 – 9 am to 2:30 pm – Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados
April 19 – 10 am to 1 pm – Hewanorra International Airport, St Lucia
April 20 – 9:30 am to 3:30 pm – Rafael Hernández International Airport, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
The Atlantic basin hurricane season begins on June 1.