DiscoverOff the RadarHugo: The Most Violent Flight in Hurricane History
Hugo: The Most Violent Flight in Hurricane History

Hugo: The Most Violent Flight in Hurricane History

Update: 2025-06-24
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In September 1989, NOAA hurricane hunters became the first to encounter Hurricane Hugo—and nearly became its first victims. Flying at 1,500 feet, they hit G-Forces in the Category 5 storm's eyewall, losing control of the aircraft nearly plunging it into the ocean.

The flight was so violent that some crew members never flew into another hurricane. Today we'll hear from Dr. Jeff Masters, the meteorologist who was on board that historic flight, then explore the science of measuring turbulence with Dr. Josh Wadler from Embry-Riddle, who has developed a metric to quantify how rough these flights get—and confirms this remains the most violent hurricane hunter flight on record.

 

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Hugo: The Most Violent Flight in Hurricane History

Hugo: The Most Violent Flight in Hurricane History

The National Weather Desk