Flying atmospheric rivers

Chief Master Sgt. Rick Cumbo, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron chief loadmaster, prepares a dropsonde before placing it into a launch tube as part of a research mission Feb. 11-24, 2016, to collect data from atmospheric rivers over the Pacific to improve West Coast weather forecasts. The Hurricane Hunters use a dropsonde, which is a parachute-borne cylindrical instrument that collects meteorological data as it descends. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Kimberly Spusta)