Ars Technica salutes NOAA hurricane scientist Peter Dodge, who underwent his 387th storm “penetration” aboard an airplane flying into Category 5 Hurricane Milton … and his first such flight posthumously:
As the powerful and dangerous storm bears down on Florida, the release of Dodge’s ashes was an unusually peaceful moment during a type of flight that is typically quite turbulent. Michael Lowry, a Hurricane Specialist and Storm Surge Expert at WPLG-TV in Florida, celebrated the moment on X, calling it a “beautiful tribute.”
Lowry’s post included a screenshot of a Vortex Data Message, which is a log of in-flight observations made by hurricane reconnaissance aircraft, detailing the storm’s center location, pressure, wind speed, temperature, and other key meteorological data used to assess the intensity and structure of the cyclone. At the end, a tribute line reads, “PETER DODGE HX SCI (1950–2023) 387TH PENNY.”
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Dodge, who died on March 3, 2023, worked extensively with the National Hurricane Center and Aircraft Operations Center, focusing on both land-based and airborne radar research.
“During hurricane seasons, Peter participated in hurricane aircraft missions, serving as the onboard radar scientist and conducting radar analyses, later becoming an expert in radar data processing,” wrote the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in its January–March 2023 newsletter (pointed out helpfully by First Coast News).
According to the AOML newsletter, Dodge’s work earned him several accolades, including a Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, two NOAA Administrator Awards, and the Army Corps of Engineers Patriotic Civilian Service Award.
As his vision deteriorated over time, Dodge continued to design flight modules for hurricane landfall experiments and coordinate with research teams to gather data using mobile weather platforms.