NOAA's iconic Hurricane Hunter aircraft on public tour

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With the Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning on June 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force Reserve are teaming up to help Gulf Coast communities get ready. As part of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, officials are hosting a series of public events to bridge the gap between scientific forecasting and community readiness.

The tour offers residents a rare opportunity to meet the hurricane experts, scientists, and flight crews responsible for tracking storms and providing life-saving information. Attendees will have the chance to get an up-close look at the specialized aircraft that fly directly into storms to collect critical data.

This year’s tour features a historic lineup of four aircraft:

• NOAA’s Lockheed WP-3D Orion: Celebrating 50 years of service
• NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP
• NOAA’s Beechcraft King Air 350 CER
• U.S. Air Force Reserve’s WC-130J

The events will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at three Gulf Coast airports:

• May 4: Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (Florida)
• May 5: Mobile International Airport (Alabama)
• May 6: Lake Charles Chennault International Airport (Louisiana)

A team of experts will be on-site at each location to answer questions and provide guidance on emergency planning. This delegation includes Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC); Robbie Berg, NHC warning coordination meteorologist; Cody Fritz, NHC storm surge specialist lead; and Owen Shieh, a warning coordination meteorologist from the Weather Prediction Center.

The public and members of the media are invited to attend these free events to learn about tropical cyclones and how citizens can create effective evacuation and disaster-preparedness plans.

For residents living along the Gulf Coast, these events serve as a timely reminder that hurricane season is approaching. Experts urge residents to use this period to restock emergency supplies, review insurance policies, and identify evacuation routes well before a tropical system develops.

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