KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Senior Master Sgt. Jay Latham, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron loadmaster, calibrates a dropsonde during a mission Sept. 28, 2022 into Hurricane Ian as it made landfall in Florida. The Hurricane Hunters gather weather data using the dropsonde by 'dropping' it from the WC-130J Super Hercules and it collects dew point, pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction and send that information back to the aircraft, which is then sent to the National Hurricane Center to be used for improvement in updating the forecast models of storm tracks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Maj. Forrest Heintz, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, left, and Maj. Kendall Dunn, pilot and aircraft commander, fly into Hurricane Ian Sept. 28, 2022.The 53rd WRS, also known as the U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, have flown 14 missions into Ian since Sept. 21, 2022, to gather vital weather data for use in National Hurricane Center forecasts. The unit is assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the unit is the only one of its kind in the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Maj. Forrest Heintz, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, left, and Maj. Kendall Dunn, pilot and aircraft commander, fly into Hurricane Ian Sept. 28, 2022.The 53rd WRS, also known as the U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, have flown 14 missions into Ian since Sept. 21, 2022, to gather vital weather data for use in National Hurricane Center forecasts. The unit is assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the unit is the only one of its kind in the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter WC-130J Super Hercules crew prepares for take off Sept. 28, 2022, for a mission into Hurricane Ian. The unit flew weather reconnaissance missions around the clock from Sept. 21 to 29, 2022 into Hurricane Ian to gather vital weather data for National Hurricane Center forecasts. The Hurricane Hunters, or 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, are a unit in the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Lt. Col. Dave Gentile, WC-130J aircraft commander, and Maj. Alex Boykin, pilot, fly a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance aircraft into Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. The 53rd WRS, or Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, fly missions into hurricanes to collect data for forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Capt. Davis White, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aerial reconnaissance weather officer, monitors a radar screen during a flight into Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. The 53rd WRS, or Hurricane Hunters, fly missions into hurricanes to collect data for forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Lt. Col. Stephen Pituch, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron commander and WC-130J Super Hercules pilot at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., prepares for takeoff June 2, 2022. The 53rd WRS flew its first data collection mission of the Atlantic hurricane season into Invest 91L off the Yucatan Peninsula. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., takes off June 2, 2022. The 53rd WRS flew its first data collection mission of the Atlantic hurricane season into Invest 91L off the Yucatan Peninsula. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.

President of the United States Joseph R. Biden (right), greets Lt. Cols. Erik Olson, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron director of operations, and Jeremy DeHart, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer, in a hangar at Joint Base Andrews, Md., May 18, 2022. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters joined up with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to showcase their missions, aircraft and equipment as part of an interagency presidential briefing concerning the upcoming hurricane season. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Spencer Slocum) Share

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.

A WC-130J aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is parked in a hangar at Joint Base Andrews, Md., May 18, 2022. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters joined up with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to showcase their missions, aircraft and equipment as part of an interagency presidential briefing concerning the upcoming hurricane season. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Spencer Slocum) Share

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.

President of the United States Joseph R. Biden briefs interagency personnel on the upcoming hurricane season in a hangar at Joint Base Andrews, Md., May 18, 2022. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters joined up with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to showcase their missions, aircraft and equipment as part of an interagency presidential briefing concerning the upcoming hurricane season. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Spencer Slocum) Share

St. THOMAS, U.S.V.I.

U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets form a line to tour a WC-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., at Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. April 20, 2022. This tour was part of the 53rd WRS’s Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour in conjunction with the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share