If you are looking for fresh snow by Christmas morning or are curious about potential travel disruptions, the best chances for at least 1" of new snowfall early this week exist across the mountainous West, Great Lakes, and Northeast. Otherwise, temperatures this last full week of December will average above normal for much of the lower 48 states. Read More >
Hurricane Awareness Tour stop #4 - May 9, 2019
Charlotte, NC
Event Information Participating AircraftPublic Tour InformationPartner Exhibits
Tours and TimelinesMedia InfoSpeakersHurricane WebinarOther Tour Stops
Are you interested in hurricanes? Have you ever wanted to meet a hurricane hunter or hurricane specialists? Want to take a tour of a hurricane hunter aircraft? Mark your calendars! On Thursday, May 9, 2019, Hurricane experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be stopping in Charlotte, NC, as one of the five locations participating in the 2019 Hurricane Awareness Tour (HAT) along the U.S. East Coast. The purpose of this tour is to raise awareness of the impacts from tropical cyclone threats and the dangers of not having a personal hurricane plan in place. Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center, along with hurricane specialists Dr. Michael Brennan and Daniel Brown, and mission specialist Warren Madden will be in attendance. USAF hurricane hunter crew members and NOAA aircraft crew members will be there as well to educate residents of vulnerable communities about hurricane preparedness, and will be available for interviews, too. Other attending organizations will be local emergency management, non-profit organizations such as the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), American Red Cross, and personnel from the NOAA National Weather Service forecast office in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, Columbia, SC, and Raleigh, NC.
When: Thursday, May 9, 2019
Where: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Open to the Public: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Two aircraft used in hurricane operations will be in attendance at the HAT in Charlotte, NC.
The WC-130J | The NOAA WP-3D Orion Aircraft |
Photo Courtesy of Sandy LaCorte |
Photo Courtesy of NOAA/NWS |
The U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J is only one of a total of ten aircraft, located at Kessler AFB in Biloxi, MS, and from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403rd Wing, that flies directly into the eye of a hurricane on several occasions during a flight. These aircraft are extremely important to tropical system forecasting and research. The data they collect is directly transmitted via satellite to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL, and is used in the forecasting process, especially by providing valuable information including the track and strength of the tropical system. Note: The C-130 is handicapped accessible.
The NOAA WP-3D Orion turboprop aircraft is based at NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland Linder Airport in Lakeland, FL and is used primarily by scientists on research missions to study various elements of a hurricane, flying through the eye of the storm several times each flight, which can last 9 to 10 hours. During each flight, crew members will deploy instruments known as GPS dropwindsondes. These devices will transmit vital data information that provides measurements of pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind, as the fall from the aircraft, through the storm, and down to the ground. This information provides a detailed look at the structure of the tropical system, as well as it's intensity. Note: The P-3 is not handicapped accessible.
Enlarge Map - Address: 5601 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
In addition to the aircraft, several NWS partners will be on hand staffing exhibits and display booths to join us in our effort to promote hurricane awareness, preparedness, and resiliency:
Charlotte Douglas Airport requires pre-screening of all exhibitors. Contact Trisha Palmer for further information regarding pre-screening.
NWS GSP Introduction Presentation and Tour Briefing | This portion of the event will run from 9:30 AM until 2 PM, and will be available to select school groups by invitation only, and media tours only. |
USAF Reserve, WC-130J hurricane hunter aircraft |
This aircraft will be on display throughout the duration of the event. Visitors will be able to participate in guided walk-throughs of this aircraft. The P-3 is handicapped accessible. |
The NOAA WP-3D Orion turboprop aircraft |
This aircraft will be on display throughout the duration of the event. Visitors will be able to participate in guided walk-throughs of this aircraft. The P-3 is not handicapped accessible. |
Public Safety and Preparedness Exhibits and Displays |
In addition to the aircraft, several NWS partners will be on hand staffing exhibits and display booths to join us in our effort to promote hurricane awareness, preparedness, and resiliency. Examples of such partners and exhibits include: American Red Cross, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), North Carolina Emergency Management, the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg, and many others. This portion of the tour will be available to all visitors and will run through the duration of the event. |
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM | FLASH Briefing |
9:10 AM - 09:30 AM | Press briefing |
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | VIP C-130 Tour |
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM | VIP P-3 Tour |
10:00 AM - 1:30 PM | Student Aircraft Tours (See aircraft student tour schedule for full details) |
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Media Interviews |
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Media C-130 Tour |
1:30 - 2:00 PM | Media P-3 Tour |
2:00 - 5:00 PM | Public Tours Gates to enter event close at 5 PM |
~6:00 pm | Aircraft Depart |
Contact Trisha Palmer for details. The official NHC Media Advisory was sent out on April 18. Members of the media MUST reserve interview times in advance - there will be NO interviews granted without prior reservations. All members of the media must be pre-screened.
The following individuals will be on hand to educate residents of vulnerable communities about hurricane preparedness, and will be available for questions and interviews (in order of appearance):
Event attendees are welcome to ask questions and engage the speakers about hurricane forecasting, preparedness and safety.
A free webinar on hurricanes offered to grades 4, 5, and 6 will broadcast live from the HAT at 10:00 a.m. The 2019 Hurricane Webinar for 4th through 6th grade classes are presented by the Hurricanes: Science and Society (HSS) team at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (URI/GSO) in partnership with the NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). The purpose of the Hurricane Webinars is to raise awareness about hurricanes in advance of the 2019 North Atlantic hurricane season. During this free webinar, students will hear from NHC forecasters as well as NOAA AOC personnel who fly into hurricanes. The webinar will cover hurricane hazards, forecasting, observing hurricanes with airplanes, and hurricane preparedness.
DATE |
CITY / ST |
AIRPORT |
I.D. |
HOST OFFICE |
05/06 – MON |
Quonset, RI | Quonset State Airport | KOQU |
WFO Norton/Boston, MA |
05/07 – TUE |
Middletown, PA (Harrisburg) |
Harrisburg International Airport |
KMDT |
WFOs State College, PA and Mt. Holly, NJ |
05/08 – WED |
Roanoke, VA |
Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport |
KROA |
WFO Blacksburg, VA |
05/10 – FRI |
Brunswick, GA |
Brunswick Golden Isles Airport |
KBQK |
WFO Jacksonville, FL |