“After our experience here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Katrina we understand how difficult it is to experience and recover from a devastating storm,” said Stanton. Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle with 150 mph winds near Mexico Beach, causing massive damage. “The eyewall also looked different than others I have flown because it was like we were inside an 18-mile-wide barrel or drum, with the eyewall going straight up and down,” he said. While inside the eye, the crew could see the storm surge hitting the coastline of Florida, said Cross. It doesn’t happen often that you see a storm increasing intensity while making landfall,” said Lt. Michael had already torn across the Florida Panhandle, and, as evening fell. “This was such a powerful storm for building up in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Michael hit Southwest Georgia with unexpected force on Oct. “Our last dropsonde measured a central pressure of 919 millibars, which was lower than both Katrina and Andrew.” Michaels low central pressure 919 millibars as of 2:00 p.m. “Data from our drop today indicated that it continued to strengthen right up to landfall,” said DeHart. Hurricane Michael has made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida as a major Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds. Jeremy DeHart, 53rd WRS ARWO, said intensity forecasts are tricky to predict. While the model forecasts have improved for tracking, Maj. In all, the squadron flew nine missions into Hurricane Michael to gather this information. 30, to gather data for the National Hurricane Center to improve their forecasts and storm warnings. The 53rd WRS is the only Defense Department unit that flies reconnaissance missions into severe tropical weather during the hurricane season, June 1 through Nov. The 53rd WRS “Hurricane Hunters” were inside the storm as it made landfall in Florida as a Category 4. “We sent the data to the National Hurricane Center and watched it go from a Category 1 to a Category 2 storm while we were fixing the center and it appeared to be intensifying.”

Kelsie Carpenter, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer, who flew into the storm on Tuesday morning. “Michael was different than others, because the track pretty much stayed the same from day one,” said Capt. 7 and was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane by Oct. The track was predicted to hit the Florida Panhandle from the start. Stanton said that during the next two passes into the eye, they were getting better readings because the storm was developing throughout the course of their mission. “We had a challenge on the first entry into the storm trying to find the center because the eye of this storm was oval shaped and roughly 30 to 40 miles long.” Stanton, 403rd Wing vice commander and navigator who was on the mission. “This storm started out as a low level investigation with the possibility of it reaching tropical storm status by the end of the first flight,” said Col. 7 and over the next four days observed it intensify from a possible tropical depression to a Category 4 storm, which made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, at 12:30 p.m. (AFNS) - The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron started flying into Hurricane Michael Oct.

Michael hurricane track