Hurricane Intercept Research Team offers storm upates

A camera, lap top, wind tracker, weather monitor and a wind gauge.

Those are some of the tools that make hurricane tracking possible for Mark Sudduth and the Hurricane Intercept Research Team.

Through their Web site, hurricanetrack.com, the four-man team offers the public and subscribers a way to keep up with any hurricanes that are brewing. For the team, that means hopping in its white SUV and heading towards the storm's current location.

The site, however, is only part of what has been a lifelong passion for Sudduth, the founder of HIRT.

"I was always interested in weather. Hurricanes was the one weather phenomenon that captivated me. I don't know why," he said.

When he was in eighth grade, Hurricane Diana sealed Sudduth's interest. While out of school for the storm, Sudduth didn't go out and play like the rest of the children. Instead, he watched the Weather Channel.

"I thought, wow this hurricane thing is pretty amazing," he said.

Through the Web site, viewers are able to access readiness tips, tracking maps, hurricane archives, as well as a video gallery of the team's adventures. Live weather data is also offered.

Video, Sudduth said, is key to what the team does.

Whether they are sitting in the vehicle on the side of the road on a sunny day or chasing a storm, the camera is rolling so viewers can see just where they are and the weather conditions.

"The holy grail of this is that we can broadcast our missions live," Sudduth said.

And the team has.

On their Web site is footage from missions during hurricanes Bertha, Fran, Bonnie, Dennis and many more.

There is even footage tracking Hurricane Floyd from Florida all the way to North Carolina.

"You can actually see right here," Sudduth said, pointing to his computer screen, "like you're sitting right here," he added, pointing to the back seat.

While the site began primarily as a way to educate users, now it focuses on providing up-to-date data and "things for people who really like tracking hurricanes," he said.

While basic information on the site is accessible to the public, subscribers have access to much more.

"People can access all this information," Sudduth said, motioning to a screen offering live feeds, enhanced tracking maps, radar and satellite feeds and a message board. "The more hurricanes affect the U.S. the more people will be interested in this service."

The team, however, does not stay in their vehicle during the storm.

"We did it once during Hurricane Charlie and it was foolish. We were lucky to have survived," Sudduth said, shaking his head.

Now, the team leaves one of six boxes of equipment and a wind tower to measure the wind speeds on the beach.

"We can send these broadcasts from the beach to the internet," Sudduth said.

By leaving the boxed equipment and heading to the safety of a local hotel, the team is able to ensure their safety and that of any other curious parties, he said.

Through hurricane season, the team will be keeping an eye out for storms brewing in the Caribbean.

It doesn't matter where they are, if a storm nears the Southeast the team will head out, Sudduth said, explaining that many of their bosses understand their reason for taking a few days off work at a time.

"It's kind of like being in the National Guard," Sudduth said. "But it's more dangerous to be in the National Guard than to do what we do any day."

Now that hurricane season has started, the team's major work has for the year has too.

"The next six months will be the most active for us," Sudduth said, explaining that the Web site will be updated multiple times a day. "When it's dead, like June and July should be, a lot of it will be one sentence."

For more information about the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, visit www.hurricanetrack.com