What is a dropsonde? How these Pringles-can-sized tubes help hurricane forecasters
Packed with instruments to measure things such as temperature and wind speed, dropsondes are a valuable tool when trying to build the most accurate forecast for a hurricane or tropical storm.
What is a dropsonde? Hurricane hunters explain
Dropsondes are tube-shaped sensor devices dropped into hurricanes to collect and transmit data for forecasters.
During hurricane season, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center rely on tremendous amounts of data to build an accurate forecast for tropical systems.
One of the most valuable tools in their arsenal is called a dropsonde – a modest-looking tube packed with instruments that is dropped into a hurricane or tropical storm to collect real-time data.
"It’s a little bigger than a Pringles can," Rebecca Waddington, a NOAA Hurricane Hunter, said during a 2022 interview with FOX Weather.
Dropsondes are loaded into launcher tubes inside the Hurricane Hunter aircraft, where they are dropped from various heights and sent on a journey into some of the worst weather on Earth. A small parachute attached to the dropsonde deploys moments after it is released to prevent it from tumbling end-over-end.
"Inside this tube are several instruments," Waddington said. "They measure temperature, dew point, GPS-derived wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure."
THIS HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE USES 3 RADARS TO SEE STORMS IN UNIQUE WAYS
![A member of NOAA's Hurricane Hunters shows a dropsonde that is used aboard a WP-3D Orion aircraft. This photo was taken in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 14A member of NOAA's Hurricane Hunters shows a dropsonde that is used aboard a WP-3D Orion aircraft. This photo was taken in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![Hurricane hunters dropsonde 9/10/2021]()
Image 2 of 14NOAA scientists prepare a dropsonde during a Hurricane Hunter flight in this undated image. (NOAA)
![]()
Image 3 of 14A NOAA scientist getting a dropsonde ready for release. (Credit: Nick Underwood)
![The dropsonde launching station on a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 4 of 14The dropsonde launching station on a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The nose of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 5 of 14The nose of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 6 of 14A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The lower fuselage radar on a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 7 of 14The lower fuselage radar on a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The tail of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters contains a unique Doppler radar that provides a 3-D view of a storm. This photo was taken in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 8 of 14The tail of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters contains a unique Doppler radar that provides a 3-D view of a storm. This photo was taken in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The cockpit of a WP-3d Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 9 of 14The cockpit of a WP-3d Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The NOAA logo is seen painted on the tail of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by the agency's Hurricane Hunters during a stop in Houston on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 10 of 14The NOAA logo is seen painted on the tail of a WP-3D Orion airplane used by the agency's Hurricane Hunters during a stop in Houston on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![Flags of countries visited by a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters are seen in Houston on May 1, 2023, along with hurricane emblems for the storms the aircraft has been used to invesitgate.]()
Image 11 of 14Flags of countries visited by a WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters are seen in Houston on May 1, 2023, along with hurricane emblems for the storms the aircraft has been used to invesitgate. (Aaron Barker)
![A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 12 of 14A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 13 of 14A WP-3D Orion airplane used by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters is seen during a stop in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
![The patch of the NOAA Hurricane Hunters is seen on a uniform in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.]()
Image 14 of 14The patch of the NOAA Hurricane Hunters is seen on a uniform in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023. (Aaron Barker)
As the dropsonde falls, the data being collected is radioed back to the aircraft that released it, where scientists perform a quality check on the information.
"When it looks good, we will then transmit it via satellite to get ingested into the models for a forecast," Waddington said.
The information collected by dropsondes is referred to as in-situ data. "In situ" is a Latin phrase meaning "on site."
Dropsondes are similar to radiosondes – instrument packets that are attached to weather balloons and are launched from the ground. Unlike radiosondes, dropsondes aren’t meant to be recovered after they are dropped, which is why they are also called "expendables."
HOW TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON NOW
NCAR
Used by more than just Hurricane Hunters
Dropsondes are used by just about anyone who wants in-situ data about the atmosphere.
According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, dropsondes were first developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the 1970s.
Dropsondes are also released from a remotely-piloted aircraft operated by NOAA and NASA called the Environmental Global Hawk to study not only hurricanes but also weather in the polar regions and other places around the world.