Hurricane Hunters fly Ian to gather data for forecasts

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)