186: Meteorologist Joyce Hirai Chases Storms

Joyce Hirai and Beth Mund experience turbulence in two very different ways.  Joyce is an Air Force Hurricane Hunter and Flight Meteorologist! She, along with her team of experts from the Air Force Reserves fly WC-130Js into tropical storms and hurricanes to take atmospheric measurements that are then fed into weather models.  These models then help forecasters make predictions about locations and severity of the storms that local governments can reference to implement emergency plans or issue evacuation notices. During the winter, her team will fly into atmospheric rivers to help better predict precipitation events that occur on the west coast of the U.S.  When she’s not flying into storms, Joyce works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center managing the astronaut’s schedules while they’re onboard the International Space Station. Joyce is also a SPACE CAMP alumni and counselor, and loves to crochet! Please welcome this week’s guest (and future astronaut, IMHO) Joyce Hirai!  Learn More about the U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunters on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at “AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters” You can follow Joyce’s flights during hurricane season at : www.tropicaltidbits.com  then click on “aircraft recon” Check out The National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov And read more about Joyce and her team here, https://www.403wg.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2980914/reservist-part-time-hurricane-hunter-full-time-mission-planner-for-internationa/