Hurricane Hunters Wrap Up 2025 Season After Flying Into Three Category 5 Storms

Dec. 2, 2025 | By Air Force Lt. Col. Marnee Losurdo, 403rd Wing |

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season officially ended Nov. 30, closing another demanding chapter for the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters. 

 
The squadron flew 927.9 hours this year across the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and central Pacific basins, collecting critical data that improved forecasts, saved lives and once again demonstrated the unit's no-fail mission. 
 
From their first flight into Hurricane Erick, June 18, to their final mission into Hurricane Melissa, Oct. 30, the 53rd WRS crews faced one of the most intense storm seasons in recent memory. This year's taskings included three Category 5 hurricanes and the second sub-900 millibar storm the squadron had flown into in as many years. 
 
The Hurricane Hunters kicked off the season when a WC-130J Super Hercules aircrew departed Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, for Hurricane Erick in the eastern Pacific. That marked the first operational flight of the 2025 season and the start of what forecasters predicted would be an active year for tropical systems. 

 
"Our job is to fly directly into the storm and collect vital information such as wind speeds, pressure, temperature and humidity," said Air Force 1st Lt. Mark McCoy, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer. "While satellites provide a significant amount of information, the data we gather within the storm is unique and cannot be captured from space. That information helps the National Hurricane Center refine forecasts and gives people more time to prepare."
 
The squadron, assigned to the 403rd Wing, is the only War Department unit that flies into tropical systems to gather real-time atmospheric data. Using a fleet of 10 WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft, the squadron operates year-round and is prepared to support 24-hour operations during the peak of hurricane season. Data from its flights is transmitted in real time to the National Hurricane Center and shared with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Navy and other domestic and international forecasting agencies. 
 
"Every time we fly into a storm, we're collecting data that can directly impact how communities prepare and respond," said Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Burton, 53rd WRS director of operations and the deployed detachment commander. "We train all year for this. What we do helps save lives and property."
 
According to Warren Madden from the National Hurricane Center, the squadron's 2025 missions were defined not by quantity, but by intensity.

In the Atlantic basin, the squadron flew into Hurricanes Barry, Chantal, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry and Melissa, as well as an early August flight in the northern Gulf of America and another in late August near the Windward Islands. In the eastern Pacific, crews flew into Hurricanes Erick and Lorena, and in the central Pacific, they supported missions into Hurricane Kiko. 

 
"What was unusual this year was the overall lack of activity in both the Gulf and in the Caribbean," Madden said. "We only flew one named storm in the Gulf — Barry — along with two northern Gulf [flights]. Chantal was the only system that produced direct wind impacts to the continental U.S., and Melissa was the only storm we flew in the Caribbean." 
 
What stood out was the strength of several storms. 
 
"Three of the systems — Erin, Humberto and Melissa — reached Category 5 strength, and Melissa became the second sub-900 millibar storm we've flown [into] in as many seasons," Madden said, referencing 2024's Hurricane Milton. "That level of intensity in consecutive years is rare."
 
The Hurricane Hunters' most demanding mission of 2025 came late in the season, when Tropical Storm Melissa rapidly intensified over the Caribbean. On Oct. 21, the 53rd WRS deployed aircraft to a forward operating location in Curaçao, positioning closer to the system as it strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane. Over a seven-day period, the squadron flew 17 missions and 170 flight hours into Melissa, conducting around-the-clock operations to support National Hurricane Center forecasts. 

 
Flying Super Hercules aircraft at roughly 10,000 feet, the crews penetrated Melissa's eye two to four times per mission, releasing equipment that measured temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure from the aircraft down to the ocean surface. 
 
"That information was delivered directly to the National Hurricane Center to improve forecast accuracy as Melissa intensified," Burton said. 
 
The deployment took place during a federal government shutdown, which complicated travel, funding and coordination. 
 
"Despite the administrative hurdles, our Hurricane Hunters continued operations uninterrupted, ensuring forecasters received the critical data needed to protect lives," said Air Force Col. Jaret Fish, 403rd Wing commander. "Our airmen demonstrated the flexibility and dedication that make the reserve force vital to the nation's readiness." 
 
Burton said the shutdown only underscored the team's professionalism and focus. 
 
"Even with the challenges, our crews stayed focused," Burton said. "We knew communities were already feeling Melissa's impact. Every data point we gathered fed into forecasts that helped officials make lifesaving decisions. That's why we do this mission." 
 
Hurricane Melissa devastated the Caribbean with 185-mph winds, torrential rain and flooding, with Jamaica being the hardest hit and suffering widespread destruction and infrastructure failures. The United Nations and U.S. State Department estimate $6 billion to $7 billion in damage to Jamaica, deadly flooding and landslides in Haiti, coastal flooding in Cuba, and at least 90 deaths across the region, including 45 in Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Oct. 28. 
 
By staging out of Curaçao, the Hurricane Hunters reduced flight time to the storm's center, enabling more frequent eye penetrations and higher-density equipment coverage during Melissa's peak intensity. That increased cadence provided near real-time data that helped forecasters and emergency managers issue more accurate warnings and evacuation guidance. 

 
With the last scheduled hurricane mission completed Oct. 30, the Hurricane Hunters spent November transitioning to winter storm reconnaissance operations in support of the National Winter Season Operations Plan. These atmospheric river missions collect data over the Pacific Ocean to help predict heavy rainfall and flooding events that affect the western U.S. 
 
"The hurricane season may be over, but our mission never really stops," Fish said. "Whether it's tropical cyclones or atmospheric rivers, our airmen deliver data that directly supports national preparedness and disaster response."
 
From the first flight into Erick to the last eyewall penetration of Melissa, the 53rd WRS's 2025 season reaffirmed the critical role of manned reconnaissance in weather forecasting. 
 
Fish said the crews flew through some of the most intense storms on record, noting, "their work saves lives, protects property and provides the science that forecasters rely on every day. We're proud of what they accomplished."

Northern Command Applies Lessons Katrina Taught

By Jim Garamone DoD News Features, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, August 28, 2015 — In 2005, Hurricane Katrina rocked the nation’s complacency in how it would face a major disaster.

The storm, which hit Louisiana and Mississippi 10 years ago, killed about 1,200 people and caused $10 billion in damage, according to the National Hurricane Center.

About 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded, and roughly 80 percent of the Mississippi coast was destroyed by the Category 3 hurricane.

U.S. Northern Command was not quite 3 years old when it was thrust into the rescue and recovery phases of Katrina’s aftermath. More than 60,000 service members -- both active duty and National Guard -- participated in storm recovery efforts.

Lessons Continue to Resonate

The lessons from the storm continue to resonate with Northcom, said Tim Russell, the vice director for future operations at in the command’s Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters. The command has thorough plans on how to respond to a disaster in the United States, he said. These include not only hurricanes, he noted, but also fires, earthquakes and man-made disasters.

The Defense Department has tremendous resources and the ability to get them where needed, said Donald J. Reed, deputy chief of Northcom’s civil support branch. “Logistics, security, communications, medical support, aircraft -- the list goes on,” he said.

Need for Planning With State and Local Officials

One lesson the command learned from Katrina was the need to do all planning with state and local officials, Reed said. “If something happens,” he explained, “all [parties] need to know how Northcom knits in with local, state and [Federal Emergency Management Agency] efforts.

“There are reams of papers on those plans,” he continued. “There are authorities the Northcom commander has been given by the [defense] secretary to get capability that may be more proximate to the incident site from another service and direct them to be moving in anticipation of a formal request from FEMA.”

In 2005, this wasn’t the case. Northcom was a new command, having been established in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. “We were just getting our arms around our components,” Russell said. “We didn’t have any forces, … and we didn’t have any authorities to go after forces.”

To get forces, the command had to apply for them, and that was not a very nimble process, Russell said. That has changed, he added, and the Northcom commander now has the authority he needs to get forces.

Dual-Status Commanders

Another aspect learned from the Katrina response was command of the forces involved. While most of the troops in Joint Task Force Katrina were National Guardsmen on Title 32 state orders, many were Title 10 active-duty service members with different chains of command. Northcom since has established dual-status commanders.

“We have a Guardsman who also accepts a federal commission, or we have a federal general officer who takes a state commission, and he is able to provide that unity of effort over Guard and Title 10 federal forces in the same battlespace, working the same problem,” Russell said.

But much of what the command learned was around the need to build relationships for the defense mission of supporting civil authorities. “We work with the National Guard and the services to ensure they understand what our role is,” Russell said. “In 2005, it was not understood what the DoD role was.”

State and local officials also didn’t know what DoD could bring to the effort, how long it would take to get forces and capabilities where they were needed, and they didn’t understand how DoD would knit into state and local efforts, Russell said.

‘Now They Are Getting It’

“Now they are getting it,” he added. “We still have a lot to do, but I think there is a growing recognition of what the Department of Defense’s capabilities are and what our roles can be and, more importantly, there is a sense of trust and a better relationship among local, state, Guard and interagency partners.”

Northcom has a directorate -- the J-9 -- which is the “home room” for interagency representatives, Russell said. The J-9 has reps from the various states, as well as from the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers.

“We have all the organizations from within government that could be involved with a ‘defense support of civil authorities’ event in one place,” he said. “They live here. Immediately, we have people who understand how Northcom will be operating in any given event.”

The National Guard is the biggest partner for the command and Northcom’s deputy commander is a National Guard lieutenant general. The Coast Guard is also integrated at all levels of the command. “The tone and the conversations with our Guard and interagency partners are changing,” Russell said.

Major Change in Disaster-Response Strategy

What also has changed is the strategy behind employing DoD assets, Reed said. During Katrina, the doctrine in place was called “sequential failure,” meaning local officials had to fail and then the state effort had to fail before federal help could come in. Katrina changed this. Local, state and federal planners work together now.

“We are fully engaged in integrated planning with DHS and our other partners, and that has a huge, huge impact on our efforts,” Reed said. “It’s gone from a sequential to a simultaneous event. We’re not seen as threatening to the National Guard or the state, we’re seen as part of a concerted effort, and that enhanced our ability to get the right stuff to the right place.”

The command works constantly on plans and has a group that looks at possibilities around the nation and what the appropriate response should be. Plans do not get dusty on shelving in the headquarters, but are constantly updated with changes in populations, changes in terrain, changes in threats or changes in technology.

Wary of Complacency

The communications system has been reinvented since Katrina, and that must be taken under consideration. Remotely piloted vehicles also add a technology that can be used to survey situations, Russell said.

Both men said they are concerned about complacency, noting that Katrina showed what Mother Nature can do, and the command never wants to think they have everything covered.

“It’s been 14 years since 9/11 and 10 years since Katrina, and we haven’t had a disaster to that level since then, but that doesn’t mean the threats are not still there,” Reed said.

“We at Northcom, we are not complacent,” Russell said. “We spend a lot of energy planning and maintaining relationships that will help us in the event of a disaster.