by Maj. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
403rd Wing Public Affairs
8/25/2014 - ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS -- Aircrews
with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron have been flying
data-gathering missions into Tropical Storm Cristobal out of the Henry
E. Rohlsen Airport here since Aug. 21.
The Hurricane Hunters flew the first low-level invest mission Aug. 21
and continued to investigate the weather system around the clock until
it was named Tropical Storm Cristobal early Sunday morning.
A low-level invest mission is flown at 500 to 1,500 feet to determine if
winds are rotating in a circular pattern, which indicates that a storm
is becoming more organized and increasing in strength, said Capt. Tobi
Baker, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aerial reconnaissance
weather officer.
"The lower the altitude you are, the stronger the circulation is, so if
it's a weak storm that is where you are going to find the winds," he
said.
The aircraft collects weather data, to include temperature, wind speed,
wind direction, humidity, and surface pressure data, continuously
throughout the mission, said Baker.
Once a system becomes a tropical storm or hurricane, the Hurricane
Hunters begin flying at higher altitudes, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000
feet depending on the severity of the storm, said Baker. Aircrews fly
through the eye of a storm four to six times to locate the low-pressure
center and circulation of the storm. During each pass through the eye,
they release a dropsonde, which collects weather data on its descent to
the ocean surface, specifically gathering the surface winds and
pressure.
During the invest and storm flights, the aircrews transmit weather data
via satellite communication every 10 minutes to the National Hurricane
Center to assist them with their forecasts and storm warnings.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Cristobal was located near the southeastern Bahamas
with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the NHC. Their
models indicate that the storm will not hit the U.S. coast, heading
northeast into the Atlantic.
The squadron will continue to fly the storm until no longer a threat and will operate from St. Croix until Aug. 29, said Baker.
Monday, August 25, 2014
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