Following a particularly turbulent journey into the heart of Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Hurricane Hunters of NOAA pondered: Could that have been their roughest flight ever? Seeking answers, a team of scientists, including two who were part of the WP-3 Orion crew on the Ian mission, conducted a study. They devised an algorithm to analyze flight data from hurricane missions spanning 2004 to 2023. Additionally, two storms from the 1980s known for their extreme turbulence were included in the analysis. The data, gathered at one-second intervals during flight, monitors motion in various directions and is measured in meters per second, as per NOAA. Surprisingly, the analysis revealed a hurricane even more tumultuous than Ian – the most turbulent ride belonged to Hugo in 1989. During this mission, the WP-3 Orion was buffeted by 185 mph winds and nearly lost control due to intense downdrafts, with equipment and crew members thrown about in the chaos. The crew narrowly escaped disaster, ultimately circling in the eye of the storm until it was safe to exit with assistance from other aircraft. Hugo later made landfall as a destructive Category 4 hurricane near Charleston, South Carolina. Ian, the second bumpiest storm according to the study, was noted for its severe side-to-side motion, as evidenced by video footage from the flight. This storm also made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, causing extensive damage and loss of life. The third spot in the ranking was claimed by Irma in 2017, with Hugo’s turbulence rated almost double that of Irma’s. Irma wreaked havoc in the Virgin Islands and Florida as a Category 5 and 4 hurricane respectively, resulting in significant destruction. The study also identified the optimal and least favorable seating locations on a WP-3 flight into a hurricane’s eye based on turbulence, with the center being the smoothest, albeit not entirely calm.
Pilots and engineers seated towards the front of the aircraft experience the highest levels of turbulence due to their proximity to the center of gravity. A recent study conducted on NOAA WP-3 Hurricane Hunter flights revealed a noticeable increase in bumpiness, potentially attributed to a warming atmosphere that could be causing heightened turbulence on commercial jetliners. This research, featured in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, aims to enhance the safety of air travel, with turbulence being a leading cause of injuries on flights. Joe Cione, a hurricane researcher at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and part of the research team, emphasized the importance of their findings in improving flight safety. Additional information on weather-related topics can be found on Weather.com, with contributions from digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles and senior writer Jan Childs covering a range of weather, space, climate change, and environmental news.
