Happy Hunting

The USAF's 53rd Wx Recon Squadron had a busy hurricane season- logging 927.9 flight hours across the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and central Pacific basins (Losurdo, 2025). With 13 named storms this year, I can personally relate to how taxing that many hours, especially turbulent, that takes on the body. 

I served as a dropmaster in the USCG from 2014-2017, where storms became more frequent with each passing year. We saw 8 in 2014, 11 in 2015, 15 in 2016, & 17 in 2017 (NWS, n.d.). Although the number of flights/hours/etc. changes from service to service; busy hurricane seasons take an enormous amount of additional hours & schedule flexibility to support 24/7 operations. But how do hurricane's even happen?

The rising ocean temperatures cause the air above to heat up; creating low pressure. This pocket of low pressure rises above the cooler air around it until condensing into a cloud, which raises the hot air even higher. This cycle of condensing/expanding happens in opposite directions- depending on what side of the world you're on. Due to Earth's rotation, the Coriolis effect causes the mixtures of hot & cold air to circulate and rise (CCW if you're in the northern hemisphere/CW-south), which create fronts. 

For more exciting and/or unpredictable results: sprinkle in ~100+ years of (unregulated) greenhouse gas emissions, accelerated deforestation & urbanization, pollution, war(s), commercialize agriculture & livestock beyond sustainable limits, and a little company named BP.

References

Losurdo, L. C. M. (2025, December 2). Hurricane Hunters wrap up 2025 season after flying into three Category 5 storms. U.S. Air Force. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4346666/hurricane-hunters-wrap-up-2025-season-after-flying-into-three-category-5-storms/

National Weather Service Mobile/Pensacola. (n.d.). Historical hurricanes and tropical systems impacting the NWS Mobile CWA. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.weather.gov/mob/tropical_events

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