NOAA Hurricane Hunter Airplanes Coming To Quonset

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — Rhode Island residents have the chance to tour real hurricane chaser airplanes at Quonset State Airport on Monday. The NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft and U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J will be on display from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. as part of Hurricane Awareness Week.

'Last year, hurricanes Florence and Michael proved how important it is to know your risk to each of the hurricane hazards of storm surge, high winds, and inland freshwater flooding," said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, in a statement. "It’s too late to prepare if a hurricane is already on your doorstep. The time to do it is now before the season begins."

Graham and other members of NOAA will lead the tours. The pilots fly directly into storms, sending data back to the National Hurricane Center in real time to help with hurricane analysis and forecasting.

"To help ensure public safety, we fly into harm’s way to gather weather data that assists NHC forecasters with the storm track and intensity forecasts, so the public has the most up-to-date information," said Lieutenant Colonel Kaitlyn Woods, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron chief meteorologist. "We ask the public to plan ahead, listen and watch for weather advisories, as well as heed the advice of local governments and disaster agencies."

The hurricane awareness tour has been running for nearly 40 years, alternating between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. It is part of the hurricane hazard education campaign and happens during hurricane preparedness week, which runs from May 5 to 11, ahead of the beginning of hurricane season on June 1.