Sky Watch Hailes gets a phone call. A storm has formed.Within 24 hours, it will become a hurricane. It could be one of the strongest hurricanes ever. Hailes and his team run to their


plane. T ey take off . T e plane heads straight into the storm. T e hurricane is a big story on the


news. People tune in to the reports. T ey want to know where and when the storm will land. It’s too early to tell. Many people wait and wonder if they are in danger.


Hunting a Hurricane Hailes sees thick clouds ahead. Soon, winds begin to knock the plane. Whump! T ump! Bump! T e force of the winds surprises him. Winds at the edge of a hurricane are usually light. Not this time. Boom! A crewmember drops a


tube from the plane. T is tube holds scientific tools. T ese tools take the storm’s temperature. T ey measure air pressure and wind speed, too. T is data will tell them where the hurricane is heading. Hailes knows the storm is getting


stronger. He also knows the ride is going to get bumpier as they cross through the eyewall.


Piercing the Eyewall T e eyewall is a ring of storms. It surrounds the center of the hurricane. T e winds are strongest here. T ey whirl faster than a speeding train. Suddenly, the plane hits a pocket of


low pressure. T e plane drops. Hailes fights to control the plane. Finally the plane flies into the eye of the storm. T e eye is the center of the storm.


Hurricane winds blow palm leaves sideways. 20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


T e sky is clear here. T e plane stops rocking. Yet the hurricane rages on around the eye.


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