Unusual Facts About the Dangerous Missions of Hurricane Hunters

The relatively docile 2025 Atlantic hurricane season was turned on its head during the last week of October when the record-breaking Hurricane Melissa roared to life across the Caribbean. The devastation that eventually ensued was predicted well ahead of its landfall thanks to the ongoing stream of data gathered by hurricane hunters. These pilots fly straight into the eye of the planet's most dangerous storms to gather life-saving information.

Similar to storm chasers that follow severe weather and tornadoes, the team of hurricane hunters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) goes on dangerous missions in an effort to capture important weather information. Forecasters use this information to inform the public about the impending hazards of developing tropical weather systems.

How dangerous are these missions? On Monday, October 27, a team of hurricane hunters was forced to abandon a mission into Hurricane Melissa after encountering severe turbulence when flying through the southern eyewall.

Here are three unusual facts that most people do not know about hurricane hunters.

Hurricane Hunters Crisscross the Storms

Most people mistakenly believe that hurricane hunters fly into hurricanes, coming back out on the other side. Unfortunately, locating the center of a hurricane is not an exact science. These pilots need to fly in a path shaped like an X in order to gather the data that they need. Known as the "alpha pattern," this crisscross path goes through the storm several times, rather than just through the middle and out again.