Hurricane Hunters Target Disturbance Near Carolinas

The Atlantic Hurricane Season just started on June 1. Now Hurricane Hunters are already making preparations for their first tropical mission of 2025 which might need to happen sooner rather than later.

The NOAA National Hurricane Center is watching an area off the southeastern US coast near South Carolina for tropical or subtropical development and although the chances are only around 10% for storm formation over the next 7 days, Hurricane Hunters are getting ready for their first possible mission of the 2025 hurricane season.

Why are Hurricane Hunters being readied for a possible flight off the coast of the Carolinas?

NOAA's National Hurricane Center is watching this possible disturbance that could develop over the next week or so.

What are Hurricane Hunters?

Hurricane Hunters are a special group of planes, pilots and researchers from NOAA that fly into and above a hurricane to get valuable atmospheric data to help with forecasting and understanding hurricanes.

What factors determine missions for the Hurricane Hunters?

Missions for the Hurricane Hunters require a lot of complicated planning. The flight crew is given 48 hours notice so that all of the crew members have plenty of time to get rested up before heading out for these very intense flights. Hurricane Hunters will go out to get data from a region of unsettled conditions if the National Hurricane Center requests a mission in order to get more information, or if a storm is nearing tropical depression strength. When a storm is near land, they often send out the Hurricane Hunters to determine possible threats. Sometimes satellite data doesn't provide enough information so the real time data that the Hurricane Hunters can collect is vital to forecasting the strength and path of tropical storms. When increased areas of thunderstorms or an intensifying low pressure system over the ocean is persistent and near land, it's possible a mission will be scheduled.

The next few days will be key in seeing if this disturbance that computer models believe is possible becomes a reality or not. It's that time of year when the Hurricane Hunters know they need to be ready for duty when called and it might be soon.