TAMPA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it plans to find a home for its famed Hurricane Hunter aircraft that is within 50 miles of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

NOAA made the announcement Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/1YflzbZ) reports it's the first concrete indication by NOAA that the planes, which fly into tropical storms to measure their intensity and forecast their path, will remain in the region.

The Air Force needs NOAA's hangar space at MacDill and has told NOAA it needs to move by July 1, 2017.

NOAA posted a request for information on a federal website seeking additional details from interested airports.

The MacDill relocation is expected to happen after the 2016 hurricane season in November and before the 2017 season in June.