NOAA aircraft support Hurricane Harvey forecasts, response

NOAA Flight Director Mike Holmes at his station aboard NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter N42RF on Aug. 25, 2017.
NOAA Hurricane Hunter crews and scientists flew a number of missions on Hurricane Harvey aboard one of NOAA's Lockheed WP-3D Orions and NOAA's Gulfstream IV-SP, collecting vital data that was used by NOAA researchers, modelers and forecasters to predict Harvey’s path and forecast its catastrophic rainfall. NOAA air crews aboard the agency's Beechcraft King Air 350 CER and a DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter are now using sophisticated equipment to take aerial images of damaged communities to help homeowners and emergency managers plan for recovery. NOAA's aircraft are based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Fla. For the latest tropical cyclone forecasts, please visit www.nhc.noaa.gov.