U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Kristen Pittman.

On 17JUN2021, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (U.S. Air Force Reserve) began launching their WC-130J hurricane hunters from Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, for the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season.

Planning an ‘LLI’ mission. USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Kristen Pittman, 17JUN2021.

The first WC-130J mission of the 2021 Hurricane season was a ‘lower level invest’ (LLI) over The Gulf of Mexico.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Kristen Pittman, 17JUN2021.

LLIs are flown by WC-130Js at a lower altitude than regular storm missions, whenever weather satellites are having a hard time finding the center of a tropical system.

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