Scott weather unit aided coastal bases hurricane preparation

by Airman 1st Class Jake Eckhardt
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

11/7/2012 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Several East Coast bases were well prepared for Hurricane Sandy's landfall Oct. 29 thanks to the efforts of the 15th Operational Weather Squadron at Scott AFB and the 26th Operational Weather Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. The 15th OWS' 98 percent accuracy rate helped these bases well in advance of the storm and they continue to provide weather updates to pilots who are aiding with the relief efforts.

"As we started watching the storm, we had to try to predict where the storm was going to go," said Maj. Jeremy Alexander, 15th OWS director of operations. "The models were very uncertain. There were different ways it could go."

The 15th OWS does all the resource protection and forecasting for the northeast Unites States from the northern plains, the Midwest and half of the Atlantic coast, from Virginia and up. They provide 150 locations in that area with warnings and guidance.

"Our flight commander for the east region emailed the bases that have weather units on the Tuesday prior to landfall telling them that the National Hurricane Center still had the hurricane going out to sea, but we were still looking at the possibility that it could turn back into the coast," Alexander said.

The responsibility of tracking the hurricane and providing warnings for other bases rests on the shoulders of Airmen. The three parts of the United States that the Scott weather forecasters watch over are divided into three sections within the 15th OWS. Each section has roughly five Airmen and one supervisor.

"It was a bit overwhelming," said Senior Airman Brittney Ervin, 15 OWS forecaster and the main forecaster during the hurricane. "There is a lot to pay attention to when you work with the systems we work with."

The senior airman alone put out over 100 warnings and recommendations to approximately 56 sites along the East Coast.

"I have family in the Baltimore and Philadelphia area, so they were on my mind, but I knew I had a job to do," she said. "I had to go into it with a clear head and do my job to the best of my ability."

The forecasters got through the storm with a 98 percent accuracy rating.

"A lot of bases wouldn't have been prepared for the extent of the storm if we had not reacted, "said Alexander. "A lot of the locations have weather personnel on base, but they get their information from the major media outlets, so we were able to provide them with more information a couple days in advance, which helped them prepare faster."