Any Hurricane Hunter will agree that their job entails long hours. In fact, a typical hurricane mission lasts 10-12 hours and involves five end-to-end trips into the eye of the storm in the pursuit of gathering data needed to more accuractly predict its path. Senior Airman Thomas Barnaby, a dropsonde operator with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron's Hurricane Hunters, spends a few minutes of down-time on the long ride to Hurricane Irene gazing from the back window of the aircraft. He also carries some of his favorite reads along with him. Share

Local, national and international media outlets frequently join the Hurricane Hunters aboard storm flights for some "in the field" coverage of the mission. Although live reporting from within a Hurricane isn't possible with today's technology, media make no haste upon landing to send their story streaming to their audiences. Share

During a flight into Hurricane Irene before she made land-fall, Tech. Sgt. Amy Lee, a Dropsonde Operator with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron's Hurricane Hunters, launches a dropsonde from the aircraft during an eye penetration. A series of dropsondes are released into the storm's eye during each pass in order to collect true wind speeds and other critical information that the National Hurricane Center uses to form more accurate predictions of the storm's path. Any Hurricane Hunter will agree that their job entails long hours and lots of eye drops. In fact, a typical hurricane mission lasts 10-12 hours and involves four to five end-to-end trips into the eye of the storm, each time administering eye drops necessary for gathering data needed to more accuractly predict its path. Share

Local, national and international media outlets frequently join the Hurricane Hunters aboard storm flights for some "in the field" coverage of the mission. Although live reporting from within a Hurricane isn't possible with today's technology, media make no haste upon landing to send their story streaming to their audiences. Share

Maj. Sean Cross, pilot, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron's Hurricane Hunters, served as the flight commander on this particular mission into Hurricane Irene. Share

Any Hurricane Hunter will agree that their job entails long hours and lots of eye drops. In fact, a typical hurricane mission lasts 10-12 hours and involves four to five end-to-end trips into the eye of the storm, each time administering eye drops necessary for gathering data needed to more accuractly predict its path. During an afternoon-evening-night-morning visit (did I mention these flights were long) into Hurricane Irene before she made land-fall, Tech. Sgt. Amy Lee served as one of two Dropsonde Operators on board, launching a series of dropsondes out of the bottom of the aircraft via a large tube during each eye penetration. Share

Lt. Col. Jason May, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron commander, talks to reporters after the squadron’s final flight into Hurricane Irene August 28. This particular mission took the Hurricane Hunters as far north as New York. To get their final fix on the storm, the crew released a dropsonde into the Hudson Bay – a first for the Hurricane Hunters. The squadron flew out of Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., for the last days of their storm mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Hlavac, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron loadmaster, releases an airborne expendable bathythermograph over the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Irene August 27. Once it hits the water, the AXBT can measure ocean temperatures from the surface to depths of 800 or 900 meters. This experimental device, tested by members of the U.S. Naval Academy, is designed to feed data to weather models in real time so forecasters can make more accurate storm predictions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Hlavac, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron loadmaster, stores a dropsonde he prepared for release into Hurricane Irene August 27. The dropsonde is a parachute-borne device that measures and encodes storm data as it drops toward the surface of the water. It measures air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed and direction. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Majs. Kevin Fryar, aerial reconnaissance weather officer, and Andrew Clark, navigator, discuss alternative flight paths through Hurricane Irene, which had just made landfall over the North Carolina coast August 27. Navigators and ARWOs for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron coordinate during hurricane flights to balance data collection with aircraft safety. Certain areas that look good for gathering storm data may be ripe for water spouts or other unfavorable weather conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens)) Share

Thick clouds engulf the WC-130J aircraft as it penetrates Hurricane Irene August 27. The flight was a pretty smooth one for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters,” who transmitted storm data to the National Hurricane Center for their forecast models. The dropsonde measures air temperature, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure and relative humidity. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Lt. Col. Darryl Woods, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot and aircraft commander, glances outside the cockpit as he flies toward Hurricane Irene August 27. Before the WC-130J aircraft arrived at Irene, the storm had already made landfall over the North Carolina coast. This was the Hurricane Hunters’ second-to-last flight into the storm before it pushed further north. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share