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9 Episodes 2013 - 2013
Episode 1
Mon, Jun 10, 2013
The Hurricane Hunters track tropical storm Isaac as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico for a possible US landfall somewhere between Key West and New Orleans an area that includes their home base in Biloxi, Mississippi. The storm has already claimed more than 20 lives in Haiti and the timing has tensions high landfall could come on the 7th anniversary of hurricane Katrina. Reservist Lt. Col. Darryl Woods helps narrow the projected path or cone of uncertainty so that at least some communities can breathe a sigh of relief.
Episode 2
Mon, Jun 17, 2013
Technical problems delay takeoff for the Hurricane Hunters' landfall mission, flying Isaac in the hours before its projected to reach land somewhere along the Mississippi Louisiana coastline. Two rookies on board, a co-pilot and loadmaster, are challenged by equipment failures just as the storm intensifies into a category one hurricane. Isaac is generating record rains as it makes mysterious moves; changing directions, stalling on the coast and ultimately making landfall twice.
Episode 3
Mon, Jun 24, 2013
It's one of the first major storms of the season and the Hurricane Hunters are hitting the ground running. Tropical storm Ernesto started out in the Caribbean and he's barreling towards Central America and Mexico. Rookie Hurricane Hunter Steve Pituch is on one of his first flights into a storm and he is put to the test. A lightening storm and flock of birds delays their takeoff by hours, but once they get in the air, they are able to find the Ernesto is headed somewhere they didn't expect. It's good news for the people of Honduras, bad news for the city of Chetumal, Mexico.
Episode 4
Tue, Jul 2, 2013
Things are hectic at Keesler Air Force base as scheduling plans a forward deployment to St. Croix to fly a storm developing in the Caribbean. Rookie Pilot Devon Meister has completed her training and she signs on to fly her very first flight into a storm as an official Hurricane Hunter Pilot. Once on the ground in St Croix, a broken propeller throws a wrench into the mix, but Meisters crew is able to fly into the developing storm and for the first time in her career, a storm is named from her mission.
Episode 5
Mon, Jun 10, 2013
On October 15th, tropical storm Rafael is intensifying in the Caribbean. The Hurricane Hunters leave St. Croix to track the storm and answer two important questions - will Rafael become a hurricane and will it hit the tourist packed island of Bermuda? What begins as a routine mission for the crew, including a rookie co-pilot, quickly becomes a harrowing brush with disaster. First, lightning plays havoc with the communications systems, and then they're faced with a far more serious situation. Airborne tornadoes are spawned inside the storm's eye, which prove impossible to avoid. The rookie is flying the aircraft when the so-called "mesocyclones" grab the plane and toss it around, forcing one wing to dangerously dip and the aircraft to drastically lose airspeed and nearly crash. The more experienced pilot takes over and puts the plane into a nose- dive to recover from what was - in his words - mere "seconds from catastrophic failure" and complete disaster. Finally, avoiding the most extreme conditions, the crew is able to collect data determining that Rafael is a category one hurricane that will head north, barely missing Bermuda.
Episode 6
Mon, Jul 8, 2013
Being accepted into the elite group of those who can call themselves "Hurricane Hunters" is no easy task. A rookie pilot is the newest addition to this prestigious squadron and she is put through the training gauntlet that every new member of the Hurricane Hunters has to go through. From on the ground simulator training, to weather and buoy flights, she is put to the test by the more seasoned members of the unit. But does she have what it takes? Not only is this rookie learning what it's like to be a Hurricane Hunter in the air, she is learning what it's like to be a part of the Hurricane Hunter family. While she cuts her teeth, other Hurricane Hunters reminisce about their rookie years and the sacrifices they and their families have made in order to complete the Hurricane Hunter mission. The mission: to track the dangerous storms that threaten lives and property, every Hurricane season.
Episode 7
Mon, Jul 15, 2013
A lull in hurricane action, in early October, gives maintenance crews a bit more breathing room to work on the squadron's fleet of C-130J's and allows squadron members some time to participate in public air shows. But down time is not long-lived. Tropical depression 18 is brewing in the Caribbean with the potential to grow into a serious storm threatening Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and perhaps even the eastern coast of the United States. The Hurricane Hunters take off for a low level investigation to determine if the system spotted on satellite is indeed becoming a tropical storm. While flying in foreign air space, the crew runs into problems gaining clearance to descend to the required 500 feet altitude for the invest. The delay burns more fuel needed for the long return flight to their base in Biloxi. Time is running out when a hunch from the weather officer leads the crew to their goal - an area that confirms four directions of circulating winds. With that data, tropical depression 18 is upgraded to a tropical storm named Sandy. Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti call for life saving evacuations and the Hurricane Hunters prepare for future flights tracking Sandy as it heads up the US Eastern seaboard.
Episode 8
Mon, Jul 22, 2013
Sandy is a deadly epic storm, heading toward landfall along the eastern seaboard. The Hurricane Hunters forward deploy from Biloxi, Mississippi, to Savannah, Georgie, so they can be closer to the storm as it tracks up the coast. This is an unusual storm for several reasons; while only a category one hurricane, it's powerful wind field is massive, and because the storm is merging with a cold front, the crew is experiencing rare ice and snow inside what would otherwise be a typically warm tropical system! On October 28th, the day before projected landfall, evacuations are underway from Delaware to New York as the Hurricane Hunters plot Sandy's path off the coast of the Carolinas. Several hours into the flight, the crew notices a baffling change in direction that could throw the storm off course - only another pass at the storm's eye will determine whether or not it is a temporary wobble or a real game changer affecting millions on the ground.
Episode 9
Mon, Jul 29, 2013
The Hurricane Hunters are tracking Hurricane Sandy right to the point where the eye makes landfall in the United States, just south of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The monster storm has already killed 65 people in the Caribbean, and she is lurking toward America, disrupting Halloween festivities and flooding the northeastern coast. The nor-easter cold storm merges with Hurricane Sandy to become Super-Storm Sandy, creating horrendous hurricane force winds for a hundred miles. Sandy hits during a full moon high tide, creating a tidal surge over 10 feet, flooding the New York City subways and decimating the coast of New Jersey.