Following a particularly turbulent journey into the eye of Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Hurricane Hunters from NOAA pondered if it was their roughest flight ever. To investigate, a team of scientists, including two who were aboard the P-3 Orion aircraft during the Ian mission, undertook a study. They designed an algorithm to analyze flight data from hurricane missions conducted between 2004 and 2023. The years selected were those with the most readily accessible data, but the researchers also included two storms from the 1980s known for their extreme turbulence.
The flight data, collected every second during flights, tracks motion in various directions according to NOAA. Motion was measured in meters per second for the analysis. Surprisingly, the study revealed that one hurricane exceeded Ian in terms of turbulence.
The Most Turbulent Hurricane Hunter Flight
The honor of the most turbulent ride belonged to Hurricane Hugo in 1989. With winds up to 185 mph and gusts nearing 200 mph, the Hurricane Hunters braved intense downdrafts that forced their aircraft into a dive. The crew managed to regain control just 880 feet above the churning Atlantic Ocean. The turbulence caused an engine failure and nearly led to the loss of another engine on the same wing. Inside the aircraft, everything was thrown around, including a 200-pound life raft that left a dent in a steel handrail.
One of the crew members stated that they were the first people to encounter the powerful hurricane and almost became its victims. The crew circled in the calm eye of the storm until it was safe to exit. Additional aircraft were brought in to assist in guiding them safely back.
Hugo made landfall near Charleston, South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane and held the title of the costliest tropical cyclone in U.S. history at that time.
Ian landed in the second spot. The analysis revealed its notable side-to-side motion. Video footage from the flight showed cargo falling and the aircraft shaking violently. Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 storm, causing extensive damage and claiming over 100 lives as it crossed the state.
Rounding up the top three is Irma from 2017. Interestingly, Hugo’s turbulence was rated nearly twice as severe as that of Irma’s. Irma devastated parts of the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 storm before hitting Florida as a Category 4, resulting in significant destruction.
The study also identified the algorithm’s ability to quantify turbulence’s impact on individuals inside an aircraft better than other existing measures. Additionally, it pinpointed the “best” and “worst” places to sit on a P-3 flight into a hurricane’s eye based on turbulence. The least turbulent location, though still bumpy, was determined to be in the center.
The center of gravity is crucial for stability. Pilots and engineers in the front experience the most turbulence. Researchers have observed an overall increase in bumpiness during NOAA P-3 Hurricane Hunter flights, potentially linked to a warming atmosphere contributing to heightened turbulence in commercial jetliners. This study was recently published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Joe Cione, a hurricane researcher at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and a scientist on the Ian flight, expressed hope that their research could enhance flight safety, given turbulence being the primary cause of injuries on aircraft. For more information on weather-related topics, visit Weather.com.
