CIRA/NOAA
Hurricane Helene makes historic landfall Sept. 26, 2024
Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024 as a Category 4 storm with 140-MPH winds. This massive storm was the strongest hurricane ever to hit Florida’s Big Bend region, but its effects were not limited to the coast. Within 48 hours of landfall, Helene tore through the Southeast U.S. and up through the southern Appalachians, causing tornadoes, deadly landslides, and historic flooding that destroyed homes, businesses, roads, and key infrastructure. This is a Geocolor image: a NOAA GOES satellite imagery product that combines how the daytime and nighttime parts of Earth look like from space.
Rebecca Keller, Aerospace Engineer, NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (NOAA’s “Hurricane Hunters”)
"I work as the Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) operator on the Hurricane Hunters’ WP-3D Orion, gathering crucial atmospheric data by releasing dropsondes and other scientific expendables. The NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly into storms to gather high-resolution profiles of the atmosphere and ocean conditions that influence hurricane track and intensity. This data and satellite data are used to develop forecasts and issue advisories to guide emergency management decisions and protect people on the ground."