PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) announced today it has greenlit "Hurricane Hunters," a new character-driven documentary series revealing the high-stakes world of pilots who fly planes into hurricanes to gather meteorological data from the eye of the storm. The show tracks their lives and dangerous missions during the height of hurricane season. Produced by Christian D'Andrea, Aleco Bravo, Rich Battista, and High Noon Entertainment, the series is comprised of 4x 30-minute episodes and will premiere in July 2012.

"Hurricane Hunters" follows the Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron based in Biloxi, MS, whose mission is to fly planes into hurricanes to better understand them and gather key meteorological data that can only be captured by flying into the eye of the storm. The information they gather helps weather services predict storm paths and warn affected cities. This is meteorology in the extreme: they risk their own lives, and other people's lives depend on them. Remarkably, many of these highly trained men and women take on hurricane hunting as a second job – and their day jobs and hobbies are as varied as a FedEx pilot, an attorney and an Elvis impersonator, making for a unique and eclectic group.

"The appeal of shows like this for The Weather Channel is that these are real people and the type of work they do helps safeguard people and potentially saves lives," said Bob Walker, executive vice president and general manager of networks and content, The Weather Channel. "Few people can imagine what it would be like to travel into the eye of a hurricane – and these men and women volunteer to do it. 'Hurricane Hunters' offers viewers a rare inside look at an extraordinary group of people and the work they do in perilous weather conditions."

"Hurricane Hunters" joins TWC's growing stable of long-form original content, which includes its most recent additions, "Twist of Fate," "Storm Riders," and "Coast Guard Alaska," as well as upcoming series "Lifeguard!" and anthology series "Braving the Elements," both premiering in March 2012.

About The Weather Channel Companies
The Weather Channel companies (TWCC) are made up of The Weather Channel® television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan®, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The most popular source of weather news and information, TWCC properties reach 60 million monthly Web consumers (weather.com and Desktop) and 32 million monthly mobile users (mobile Web and applications) and offers the second most popular mobile app on all smartphones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.

SOURCE The Weather Channel Companies