As Hurricane Helene developed in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA researchers gathered critical data from the sea and sky to better understand tropical cyclones and support the National Hurricane Center forecasters. This real time data gives meteorologists a clearer picture of the storm environment and structure, reducing forecast uncertainty.

Researchers from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies supported a series of NOAA Hurricane Hunter missions on September 25-26, 2024. In addition to operational radar and dropsonde data, scientists are experimenting with emerging technologies like the Black Swift S0 drone, a small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS), which gathers atmospheric data from the storm’s lowest levels, which were not previously accessible.  

The sUAS is launched from the belly of the P-3, and then controlled remotely as it flies into the lower levels of the storm, allowing scientists to sample the boundary layer. This describes the area where the atmosphere meets the ocean, and the conditions are too turbulent for crewed aircraft to fly. On the flights into Hurricane Helene, the Black Swift S0 broke records in flight duration and communication distance. After deployment, the S0 remained aloft for a total of 105 minutes, with a maximum range of 166 nautical miles, reporting data to researchers for the duration of its flight. These extended flight durations and increased range allow for longer data collection periods and access to more remote areas within the storm. As a result, researchers can gather a greater volume of data, improving the accuracy and scope of their analyses. These records are raising the bar for hurricane observations, highlighting the feasibility of integrating emerging technologies into atmospheric research efforts.

Update: NOAA built on the record breaking flights into Hurricane Helene by releasing the S0 drones into Hurricane Milton as well, breaking yet another record. During a flight on October 8, 2024, the sUAS recorded a maximum wind speed of 209 kt at 500 m altitude.

Data collection during hurricane season extends beyond the skies as drifters, gliders, and buoys reported oceanic observations as the storms pass. The ocean is a major component of hurricane formation and development, making it a key research interest for storms like Helene and Milton. While the S0 flies above, researchers at AOML and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, in coordination with Saildrone, directed Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicles into the path of the storms, gathering data from just above the ocean’s surface and just below. During Helene, they measured a maximum wind gust of 95 kt (109 mph) and a maximum significant wave height of 9.5 m (31 ft) within about 20 miles of the storm’s center. Additionally, AOML and partners at Scripps Institute of Oceanography coordinated air drops, deploying a string of drifting buoys, also known as drifters, in the path of Helene to measure upper ocean conditions, reporting wave heights greater than 8 meters (26 feet).

All of these data combined provided scientists and forecasters valuable information about this extraordinary storm’s development and intensification, with the ultimate goal of protecting lives and property.