Weather Warriors Fly Into Hurricane Ike

Skies along the Mississippi Gulf Coast were already becoming overcast yesterday as Staff Sgt. Shannon Smith, weather reconnaissance loadmaster, provided information to pilots as the WC-130J backed out in preparation for takeoff. Sergeant Smith is a Reservist with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, better known as the Hurricane Hunters. The unit which collects data inside tropical storms and hurricanes feeds the information gathered to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett)