NOAA’s ‘Kermit’ Flew Nearly Eight Hours as Moke Developed Near Hawaii
N42RF left and returned to Kalaeloa after forecasters scheduled NOAA reconnaissance into Tropical Depression Two-C, which strengthened into Moke during the flight.
- Kapolei, HIKapolei, HIPHJR → PHJRAug 21, 20264:02 PM11:51 PMEDT7h 49m
NOAA’s WP-3D Orion N42RF, known as ‘Kermit,’ flew a nearly eight-hour loop from Kalaeloa on Friday as Tropical Depression Two-C organized southeast of Hawaii and strengthened into Tropical Storm Moke.
Earlier that morning, the National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center said NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance aircraft were scheduled to investigate the system. At 5 p.m., forecasters said data from NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft supported Moke’s analyzed intensity. NOAA identifies N42RF as one of two instrumented WP-3D aircraft used to collect storm data for forecasting and research.
The timing, duration and official reconnaissance references support a high-confidence mission match; the available sources do not identify individual crew members or passengers.