WunderPhotos®

Yes, we fly through the storm. We fly C-130's, which aren't capable of flying high enough to get over the top of a hurricane eyewall. NHC needs the data as close to the surface as we can get. We start at 500 to 1500 feet above the water in a tropical depression and increase our altitude as the storm increases intensity. By the time the storm is a Cat 1 or 2 hurricane, we are flying at 10,000 feet. The tops of a hurricane eyewall are typically 50,000 to 60,000 feet.