The Hurricane Research Division (HRD) is a section of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, Florida, and is the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) focus for tropical cyclone research.
The thirty member division is not a part of the National Hurricane Center but cooperates closely with them in carrying out its annual field program and in transitioning research results into operational tools for hurricane forecasters.
In August, 1992, the AOML/HRD facility sustained moderate damage after the passage of Hurricane Andrew across southern Dade County, Florida, however, despite significant personal disruption to the lives of almost all of its staff members, HRD reconnaissance flights continued into Andrew until it made a final landfall along the Louisiana coastline several days later.
The present fleet consists of two Orion P-3 four-engine turboprops, which can fly directly into the eye of hurricanes, and a Gulfstream IV high-altitude jet, which is used to fly around tropical cyclones, dropping instrument packages called dropsondes.
When not engaged in field operations, HRD scientists and computer programmers process and interpret the information they have gathered.