Inside a NOAA hurricane hunter

As Tropical Storm Debby slid by the Tampa Bay area, lashing the coast with gusty winds, rain and storm surge, a crew at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland jumped into action.

Full of scientists and special weather-gathering equipment, the crew and staff flew multiple times into the storm collecting data that helps to make forecasts more accurate.

The Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, nicknamed Kermit, flew four missions into Debby. The data that was gathered was relayed to meteorologists and local Emergency Operations Centers in real time, which help municipalities plan for storms.

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