How the Biloxi-based Hurricane Hunters are preparing for another busy season

Standing beneath the wing of a hulking gray plane, Lt. Col. Sean Cross said the Hurricane Hunters are ready.

“If it’s going to make landfall, we’re going to be in it,” he said at the Keesler Air Force Base on Tuesday, where the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is preparing for another busy season.

The squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters, has flown into storms for decades. The idea began as a barroom dare between pilots, and is now a seasoned operation with 10 planes. The squadron sends data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, where forecasters use the information to predict the path, strength and timing of landfall.

Demand for their services could be high again this year.

Forecasters are already predicting more activity than normal because of warm oceans that fuel storms. And last year’s season was devastating: Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 to ever form in the Atlantic, and Hurricane Helene unleashed flooding and destruction from Florida to North Carolina.

Biloxi-based squadron is fully funded

Cross said the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron has staffed 100 crewmembers since the 1990s. But he said staffing has increased in the 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, which includes the Hurricane Hunters and now has over 1,600 personnel.

Air Force personnel say the 403rd squadron is properly funded this season and has an annual budget of $84 million.

The squadron sometimes works with a separate group of Hurricane Hunters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That group is facing uncertainty because the Trump administration has fired some NOAA employees and proposed cutting the agency’s budget by millions of dollars. But the 403rd squadron falls under the Department of Defense, where the White House has proposed increased spending.

“If there was a change to the NOAA footprint, there would obviously be a collateral effect to what we do here and we would probably have to pick up more flights,” Cross said. He said the Biloxi-based Hurricane Hunters would keep sharing data with the National Hurricane Center “as long as they see a need for it.”

Maj. Alex Boykin, a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, said the Hurricane Hunters in Biloxi have been “insulated” from broader tensions over federal funding. “This year we have all of our money,” he said.

Internet planned on Hurricane Hunter planes

Air Force personnel say they do not expect any new planes this year. But they are testing technology to install internet on Hurricane Hunter planes. Cross said that will let forecasters and scientists at the National Hurricane Center observe radars on planes and “see exactly what we’re experiencing.”

First Lt. Mark McCoy flies with the Hurricane Hunters as a meteorologist called an aerial reconnaissance weather officer. His job is to transmit data collected on flights to the National Hurricane Center. He said the new internet technology would arrive “hopefully in the next year.”

Still, pilots say the planes are aging. “It’s starting to cost more to keep these planes going than it is to get a new aircraft,” said Boykin, who last year flew into Hurricanes Helene and Francine. Pilots say some new crewmembers are almost as old as some of the planes.

Cross said the squadron could always use extra planes, but it is unclear when any will need to be replaced. Technical Sgt. Daniel Sullivan, who does maintenance on the planes, said he works on unscheduled repairs about once a week. He said the need for maintenance has increased but that the 1990s technology on planes “still does the job.”

The squadron will work through Nov. 30 this season, bracing against winds of 150 mph or more in storms that can rapidly intensify. Air Force personnel say residents should prepare now.

“Come up with a plan early and pay attention,” Cross said, noting that the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina falls this year.

“Do not lock Katrina in a box,” he said. “Talk about it. Educate your children and your family members.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.