WC-130J Hurricane Hunters have flown data-gathering missions into seven Pacific tropical storms from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, this season, capping off with Tropical Storm Ignacio on Tuesday. “During an El Niño year, the water gets much warmer and more moist than normal, causing a lot of storms to form over the Pacific as opposed to the Atlantic side, which is what we’re seeing happen this year,” 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Aerial Reconnaissance Weather O?fficer Lt. Col. Brian Schroeder said in a release. The unit has flown only four Atlantic tropical storms thus far this season, including Hurricane Erika last week. Pacific storms have included hurricanes Blanca, Carlos, Guillermo, Hilda, and Ignacio, and tropical storms Ela and Kilo, according to the unit. This is the second year in a row WC-130Js have deployed to Hawaii from Keesler AFB, Miss., to monitor the Pacific hurricane season.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
