Hurricane Hunters Forced to Scrub Missions into Eye of Hurricane Melissa

A U.S. Air Force WC-130J Weatherbird from the 53rd WRS, as well as NOAA aircraft, have had to abandon planned missions early due to the strength of Hurricane Melissa.

Weather reconnaissance aircraft have been operating at an extraordinarily high tempo in recent days to gather data on Hurricane Melissa as it threatens to devastate communities across the Caribbean. These include civilian-operated WP-3D Orions from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as well as WC-130J Weatherbirds from the U.S. Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), collectively known by the nickname ‘Hurricane Hunters’. Contents A U.S. Air Force WC-130J Weatherbird from the 53rd WRS, as well as NOAA aircraft, have had to abandon planned missions early due to the strengt