Courtesy Photo | McNair Hall, Fort Rucker, Ala., May 29, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by WO1 Natalie Magnuson)... read more read more
FORT RUCKER, Ala.— Fort Rucker is keeping an eye on the sky as the Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a below-normal season for this year, while emphasizing early preparation. Currently, NOAA anticipates 8 -14 named storms, 3-6 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes.
As part of their ongoing efforts, post officials conducted an installation-wide hurricane tabletop exercise which brought together senior leaders and key agencies with a focus on taking care of people and equipment here May 27.
“Fort Rucker remains in a state of continuous preparation for hurricane season,” said Sean Sparks, director of Fort Rucker’s Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security office. “Having a seamless process in place is not just about mitigating damage. It is about protecting the installation’s most critical assets--its people, facilities, infrastructure, and equipment,” Sparks said.
Because that includes thousands of people, hundreds of aircraft, and a critical Army Aviation training mission, preparation must start long before the storm makes landfall, or even enters the Gulf.
“By tracking storms early, the installation maximizes our time to develop courses of action for leadership. This continuity and seamless planning process ensures the post is ready at a moment's notice to execute protective measures,” Sparks said.
For the exercise, Cindy Howell, supervising meteorological technician for the U.S. Air Force 18th Combat Weather Squadron, Operation Location-Charlie, provided a storm scenario of a hurricane that would make landfall on the Gulf Coast and continue inland in the direction of Fort Rucker. The team then worked from that scenario to provide their various data inputs into a dashboard for a more efficient process to update the senior commander.
“Steve Rogers developed this…massive dashboard and everybody feeds live data into it, and it is absolutely top-level leadership friendly. It’s a living, breathing dashboard rather than a snapshot in time,” Howell said. “Everybody was involved, and it was very well received” by senior leaders.
Sparks said the installation will continue to review its processes, including after changes of command during the summer months.
Historically, storm impacts to the installation included spinoff tornadoes, microbursts and areas of flooding, causing facility damage, downed trees, and power outages.
"It depends on the exact track of the storm, how big it is, how intense it is and how fast it’s moving--all of these are factors in what impacts we could see here. We absolutely could see hurricane force wind gusts if the storm is strong enough and it hits at just the right location,” Howell said.
“Flash flooding, heavy rains—that is always a possibility especially if it is a slow moving storm. We are watchful for tornadoes if we’re on the northeast quadrant of the storm, where tornadoes are most likely to occur,” Howell said.
And the threat extends beyond the gates.
“Surrounding communities closely tied to the base, such as Elba and Geneva, have historically faced major, devastating flood events associated with passing hurricanes,” Sparks said.
The installation maintains relationships year-round with state and county Emergency Management Offices to ensure a unified response to incoming weather events, Sparks noted.
The weather team completed a tropical training module this month to help improve their own proficiency as they prepare for the season.
“I’ve been dusting off our SOP and products and just making sure that I’ve got everything as it needs to be with the new dashboard,” Howell said.
Howell said this year the Hurricane Center has changed the “cone of uncertainty” that indicates on the map the expected direction the hurricane will take.
“The old cone was about the 2/3 track error—so 2/3 of the storms, the center historically would track within that cone. So that means 1/3 could be outside the cone. This new version will capture more like 90 percent of the possible storm tracks versus that 66 or 67 percent.”
Howell said people should not assume that the center of the cone is the track of the storm, or that storm impacts are confined to the areas of the cone.
“Impacts can and do extend beyond the cone,” Howell said.
Howell said the time to prepare is now. During Hurricane Preparedness Week earlier this month, Public Service Announcements went out to encourage the Fort Rucker community to begin preparing.
“Figure out if you’re in a flood prone area. If you’re in a mobile home, do you need to evacuate in those situations. Do you need to do anything around the house to get ready, maybe shore up some loose siding. If you’ve got trees that are too close to the house or some dead limbs or dead trees, get rid of them now before they blow over on top of your house. Make sure your insurance is adequate. Get your plan together, your emergency supply kit, your points of contact if you do have to evacuate the area.
“All of that stuff should be done right now,” Howell said. “When the storm threatens, it’s kind of too late.”
Howell noted that people should not depend on tornado sirens to warn of a tornado, because most people don’t live near a siren, and often those that do cannot hear them while indoors. She recommends getting a NOAA weather radio and choosing a free weather app to set up alerts for smart phones.
“That’s where the Ft Rucker Weather Facebook page and our U.S. Army Fort Rucker & AVCOE Facebook page come in. The difference between us and the National Weather Service is the weather service is looking at a giant area, whereas our team is strictly focused on Fort Rucker,” Howell said.
Even though it is expected to be a below-normal season, people should still be prepared. “It only takes one storm,” Howell said.
Sparks urged Fort Rucker personnel to take the following actions now:
• Self-register in the mandatory emergency ALERT System (CAC login required): Ensure your contact information is up to date to receive mass warning notifications. https://alert.csd.disa.mil/
• Stay Informed: Monitor the official U.S. Army Fort Rucker & AVCOE Facebook page and download the My Army Post App for real-time updates.
• Review preparedness tips and build an emergency kit by visiting www.Ready.gov and the National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov.
“By staying informed and maintaining a posture of readiness, the Fort Rucker community ensures that when the skies darken over the Gulf, the installation is prepared to weather the storm and keep the mission flying,” Sparks said.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2026 16:02 |
| Story ID: | 566471 |
| Location: | ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Storm Ready: Fort Rucker Prepares for Hurricane Season, by Kelly Morris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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