Hurricane Hunter aircraft have transformed our understanding of tropical cyclones, but there are still parts of a hurricane that are too low, too turbulent and too dangerous for a crewed aircraft to explore.
That is where a new generation of uncrewed aircraft systems is changing the science.
In this episode of the HurricaneCenter Podcast, we speak with Dr. Joe Cione, lead meteorologist with NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division and a leader in the development and deployment of emerging hurricane-observation technology.
Dr. Cione explains why the lowest portion of a hurricane—the boundary layer immediately above the ocean—is so important to understanding storm structure and intensity. It is the region where the hurricane interacts directly with the sea, transferring heat, moisture and momentum, yet it has historically been one of the most difficult areas for scientists to observe.
The conversation explores how small aircraft launched from NOAA Hurricane Hunter planes can descend into the eye, eyewall and lower levels of a tropical cyclone while transmitting measurements back to researchers.
We also discuss:
- Why hurricane intensity remains more difficult to forecast than track
- What scientists still need to learn about rapid intensification
- Why the interaction between the ocean and atmosphere matters
- How uncrewed systems complement aircraft, satellites, dropsondes and ocean platforms
- The engineering challenges of operating inside hurricane-force winds
- How observations are eventually incorporated into forecast models
- The importance of collaboration among government, academia and private industry
- What the next generation of hurricane reconnaissance may look like
- How better observations can ultimately support earlier and more confident emergency decisions
Dr. Cione has spent decades investigating the hurricane environment and developing ways to collect measurements from locations that were once inaccessible. His work has included the Coyote, Altius-600 and Black Swift uncrewed aircraft systems.
A NOAA team that deployed an Altius aircraft into Hurricane Ian’s eyewall received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for scientific and engineering achievement. Later Black Swift missions demonstrated extended flight time, communication range and the ability to operate within extreme hurricane conditions.
This episode offers a rare look at the technology, science and human persistence behind the effort to better understand one of the atmosphere’s most powerful phenomena.
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