KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- As Hurricane Willa made its way to the coasts of the Isla Marias and west-central and southwestern coasts of Mexico, the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, or Hurricane Hunters, geared up and flew into the storm to gather important weather data.
During hurricane season, June 1 through Nov. 30, the 53rd WRS flies reconnaissance missions into severe tropical weather, providing the weather data that they gather from the storm to the National Hurricane Center to improve their forecasts and storm warnings.
While the 53rd WRS headed out to fly its first storm tasking into Hurricane Willa Oct. 22, a safety issue put a halt on the mission, causing the aircrew to turn back without entering the storm. They did accomplish the mission the next day, finding the center of the storm, providing crucial data back to the NHC.
Hurricane Willa, once a Category 5 storm on Oct. 22, made landfall as a Category 3 Oct. 24 near Isla Del Bosque, Sinaloa, the western coast of Mexico.