403rd Wing aircraft evacuate as Ida looms - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

403rd Wing aircraft evacuate as Ida looms

The Air Force Reserve’s 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is evacuating aircraft Monday as Tropical Storm Ida approaches the region.

WC-130Js at Keesler are being sent to various locations in Texas to avoid possible heavy winds. The wing, which includes the 53rd Weather Reconnaisance Squadron and the 815th Airlift Squadron, typically evacuates the aircraft if winds are expected to exceed 30 mph.

Hurricane warnings were dropped along the Gulf Coast on Monday as Ida weakened and replaced with tropical storm warnings that stretch from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Forecasters predict 2 to 4 inches of rain along the Mississippi coast.

The 53rd’s “Hurricane Hunters” remain ready for taskings from the National Hurricane Center, according to a news release from the 403rd Wing. The squadron has been tracking Ida for the past several days.

At Hurlburt Field, Fla., the return of CV-22 Ospreys from their first deployment in southwest Asia was postponed because of Ida.