'Hurricane Hunter' Visits Verona Elementary School

Third- and fourth-grade students at Forest Avenue School in Verona got a unique opportunity for a glimpse into the eye of a major hurricane Tuesday, as “Hurricane Hunter” Commander Carl Newman presented some of his work, standing alongside Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th District).

On Tuesday, April 30, Frelinghuysen and Newman visited several area schools, and concluded with a presentation for Forest Avenue's third- and fourth-grade classes.

“I try to bring a Hurricane Hunter and an astronaut to each congressional district every year,” said Frelinghuysen. “It's important to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers at elementary schools. It’s a very good age when the children are very impressionable.”

Newman, a former U.S. Navy instructor and veteran pilot for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has flown 237 hurricane-penetrating missions since 1999. He has flown through and mapped major hurricanes including Hurricane Brett, Floyd, Katrina and Irene.

“During my first hurricane, which was Hurricane Brett in 1999, I was just wild, wide-eyed and paying close attention,” he said.

Newman taught students about different conditions that form hurricanes, how to predict where a storm is heading and how intense it will be and the importance of these careers in keeping people safe.

“Science is like a baton, we are handing off the baton to you to take over,” he told students. “If you stay in school and focus on math and science you can do what I do today. We would love to have you.”

Newman really caught the attention of students at the beginning of his presentation when he showed a video of him flying through a hurricane. The clouds became thicker and thicker until the only thing the pilot could see was rain pummeling the windshield.

Hurricane hunters refer to the rain and clouds in the thick of the hurricane as the “goo,” said Newman.

In the video, as the plane pulled through the goo into the calm eye of the storm, the students said a simultaneous “whoa.”

“It's very refreshing to visit schools,” said Newman. “We get so caught up in our administrative lives, it’s just a privilege to be able to share these stories.”

Click here for more information on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.