Hurricane Hunters Fly Into Isaias, Gather Forecast Data

On Oct. 7, 2026, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunter crews took off from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and flew about 700 miles southwest of Biloxi into Tropical Storm Isaias. Second Lt. Andrew Wilson monitored data from aircraft wing instruments and dropsondes and discussed the readings with a crew member. The data was sent to the National Hurricane Center for weather models. Wilson said that without the flights, forecasters would not know what is going on inside the storm from satellite imagery alone. A standard Air Force Reserve crew is two pilots, a navigator, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer and a weather loadmaster. Plans called for three small uncrewed aircraft at or below 5,000 feet for one to two hours and a NOAA Gulfstream IV-SP at about 45,000 feet to sample surrounding atmosphere and steering currents. Wilson, a former WLOX meteorologist who interviewed for the squadron job in November 2018, said Isaias was starting to get its act together and urged the public to follow National Hurricane Center information and local meteorologists’ warnings. Forecast models differed on whether Isaias would reach hurricane strength and on its path across the northern Gulf Coast.