At Sacramento County’s Mather Airport, an hour’s drive south from Marysville-Yuba City, specially outfitted U.S. Air Force “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft stand by, preparing to launch into powerful storms across the Pacific. Led by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (AR Recon) program sends these WC-130 Super Hercules aircraft to locations such as Japan, Guam and Hawaii.  Comprised of a team of Air Force reservists, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron collects data from atmospheric rivers and hurricanes, sending it back to the ground in real time. This helps enhance forecasts and better understand the storm system path, thereby supporting more informed decision-making to mitigate storm impacts.