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NOAA scientists did this in his honor Peter Dodge’s 44-year career as a radar and hurricane hunterHe is devoted to the study of events such as Hurricane Milton. The crew said that although such flights are usually quite turbulent as the storm approached the peninsula, the moment the dust cleared was relatively calm. Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert and expert on storm surge behavior (storm-induced flooding), celebrated the moment by calling it a “beautiful tribute,” according to ArsTechnica.

Lowry’s post included a screenshot of the Vortex Data Message, which is essentially a log of in-flight observations made by hurricane reconnaissance aircraft and details the location of the storm’s center, pressure, wind speed, temperature and other key meteorological data used for assessment. density and structure of a cyclone. There’s a line at the end honoring the scientist: “PETER DODGE HX SCI (1950-2023) 387TH PENNY”.

• “HX SCI” stands for “Hurricane Scientist.”
• 1950-2023 – Years of Peter Dodge’s life.
• “387th PENNY” – refers to the term “penny” meaning the moment of entering the hurricane during the observation flight. Although it was posthumous, this was Dodge’s 387th flight inside the tornado.

Dodge, who died on March 3, 2023, focused on ground and airborne radar research, working extensively with the National Hurricane Center and Aircraft Operations Center.

During hurricane seasons, Peter participated in anti-hurricane aircraft missions, worked as an airborne radar and performed radar analysis, later becoming a radar data processing specialist.
– Written by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in 2023.

Dodge’s work was recognized with many awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, two NOAA Executive Awards, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Patriotic Civilian Service Award.

Although Dodge’s vision worsened over time, he continued to design flight modules for land-based hurricane research experiments and coordinate research teams collecting data using mobile meteorological platforms.

Crew showed video of flight through Hurricane Milton

The task did not end with the scattering of ashes. Scientists on the plane showed video of the extreme turbulence they encountered as they passed through the storm. Footage taken by NOAA’s Nick Underwood shows the equipment flying in all directions and passengers clinging to their seats as they experience brief moments of weightlessness.

The Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft, nicknamed “Miss Piggy,” collected critical data that helped improve forecasts and supported hurricane research. This is especially important today, when hurricanes are becoming more frequent and their strength is increasing due to global warming.

Turbulence while flying through Hurricane Milton: video

The agency’s planes were built in the 1970s and have been used for similar missions ever since. It is one of two WP-3D Orion aircraft used by NOAA. The other plane is called Kermit.