LAKELAND, Fla. — When a hurricane forms, hurricane hunters are near the storm measuring its strength.
WFTV certified meteorologist George Waldenberger got a chance fly with the hunters in the GIV “Gonzo” plane. It is nicknamed Gonzo because of its protruding nose cone.
They left the NOAA aircraft operations center at 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Lakeland. The team flew down west of Cuba, south of the Dominican Republic, over Puerto Rico, around Hurricane Irma, over the Bahamas and back to Lakeland.
The hunters were out sampling air around the hurricane to provide more accurate model forecasts in the days ahead. The data that was recorded went into the morning forecast models, which the National Hurricane Center used to decide any hurricane track shifts for Thursday and its path toward Florida.
Our teams of meteorologists have suggested that people have a plan in place before 5 p.m. Saturday.
Cox Media Group
