{"id":3688,"date":"2018-09-14T06:34:34","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T11:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/?p=3688"},"modified":"2023-08-14T09:23:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T14:23:17","slug":"hurricane-florence-how-big-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/hurricane-florence-how-big-is-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Florence How Big Is It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the southeastern United States braces for Hurricane Florence, how big is it and where will it hit become important questions.<\/p>\n

Viewers watch coverage of hurricanes around the clock and hear weathermen and weatherwoman give us great detail of wind speed, direction, traveling speed, etc.\u00a0 How do they know all of that information?<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The Technology<\/h4>\n

Many assume that we get that information from weather satellites flying harmlessly above the storms.\u00a0 That is only a small part of the picture.\u00a0 The most important details are gathered in anything but a harmless matter.<\/p>\n

The United States federal agency tasked with gathering hurricane information is The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA for short.\u00a0 NOAA (pronounced like the Biblical builder of the ark) has been in the business of hurricane hunting for decades.<\/p>\n

NOAA operates two types of aircraft in this pursuit:\u00a0 The Gulfstream IVSP (left<\/em>) and the WP-3D Orion (right<\/em>).\u00a0 But what do they do with these aircraft?\u00a0 They flying them into <\/em>the eye of the storm.\u00a0 You read that correctly.\u00a0 Like first responders who run into burning buildings while everyone else runs out, NOAA hurricane hunters fly into a hurricane while other aircraft are flying away.\u00a0 For an informative close up of the pilots and airplanes used see: https:\/\/www.weather.gov\/ctp\/HurricaneHunterPriceArticle<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

As they fly into the fringes of the storm, they begin to measure wind speed.\u00a0 The goal is to reach the center (or eye of the hurricane).\u00a0 As they penetrate the storm they are also gathering data on atmospheric pressures and how they are changing.\u00a0 These data are fed back to the National Weather Center, which uses them in models to predict the hurricanes path and measure its power.<\/p>\n

The Cost<\/h4>\n

Training crew members, dispatching them within 48 hours of their hurricane penetration, buying the airplanes, maintaining the airplanes, plus the additional overhead costs of pay and benefits does not come cheap.\u00a0 So why spend the money?<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

As the Levenson article (see Record Setter) details, a fair estimate of hurricane preparation costs is one million dollars for one mile of shore line.\u00a0 This includes evacuation costs, generators, boarding up homes, and gas for automobiles to drive families away.<\/p>\n

In the \u201cold days\u201d the meteorologist\u2019s predictive models of hurricane paths would outline a 400 mile area where the hurricane may come ashore.\u00a0 Due to the advances in modeling, coupled with the hurricane hunters\u2019 data, the prediction area has been cut to 200 miles wide.\u00a0 This translates to a savings of a couple hundred million dollars for each hurricane.\u00a0 A figure that more than covers the costs of NOAA\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n

The Record Holder<\/h4>\n

As America braces for Hurricane Florence, I would be negligent if I did not mention the record holder when it comes to Hurricane Hunting.\u00a0 He is the ironman, the workhorse, the Lou Gehrig of Hurricane Hunters, James McFadden.<\/p>\n

McFadden hunted his first hurricane, Inez, when Lyndon Johnson was president.\u00a0 Fifty two years later he is still at it.\u00a0 James McFadden is now 84 years old and has penetrated 574 storms.\u00a0 If that sounds like a record, it is — A Guinness Book of World Records record.<\/p>\n

You can read more about McFadden\u2019s story and see pictures at: https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/09\/04\/us\/hurricane-hunter-james-mcfadden-trnd\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Bracing for Hurricane Florence<\/h4>\n
<\/figure>\n

Meanwhile as America braces for Hurricane Florence.\u00a0 Millions will be watching on their televisions, computer monitors or personal display device.\u00a0 Watching from a dry temperate home or office.\u00a0 Meanwhile, brave crews are enduring harsh conditions to help us prepare more smartly. For video coverage of Hurricane Florence from the Hurricane Hunters, see: https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/local-news\/water-cooler\/video-hurricane-hunters-fly-into-the-eye-of-florence<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the southeastern United States braces for Hurricane Florence, how big is it and where will it hit become important questions. Viewers watch coverage of hurricanes around the clock and hear weathermen and weatherwoman give us great detail of wind speed, direction, traveling speed, etc.\u00a0 How do they know all of that information? The Technology […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":338,"featured_media":3684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[35],"tags":[869,864,865,866,867,868],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHurricane Florence How Big Is It? - Doctor Aviation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the southeastern United States braces for Hurricane Florence, how big is it and where will it hit become important questions.\u00a0How do we know the answers?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/hurricane-florence-how-big-is-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hurricane Florence How Big Is It? 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