May 2, 2007 3:50 pm US/Eastern
Hurricane Hunter Flies Into Middle River
by Alex DeMetrick
MIDDLE RIVER, Md. (WJZ) ―
A dramatic warning dropped out of the blue and onto the runway of Martin's State Airport.
As
Alex DeMetrick reports, the Hurricane Hunter was here to make an impression.
It's big and built to take it. Those are good things when you chase hurricanes for a living.
"Obviously a hurricane is all bad weather, but we can tell where the really bad stuff is, and we'll try to go around it. But it's still pretty bumpy," said navigator Peter Siegel.
The Hurricane Hunter is in Middle River because it is the most dramatic prop the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has to prepare people for some of the worst weather nature can throw.
On board the Hurricane Hunter are the electronics packages that will collect data from sensors that will get the kind of data satellites can't.
Last year, the warm Pacific waters of El Nino kept hurricanes and the planes quiet. But this year could be different and there could be more rough trips into the hurricane's eye.
By touring areas vulnerable to hurricanes, NOAA and local disaster planners hope it will prompt people to stack up on supplies and make plans now, just in case a hurricane hits Maryland this season.
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