N42RF will fly an NESDIS Ocean Winds mission into Hurricane Jeanne. Takeoff time will be at 11 AM EDT from MacDill AFB, FL, and recovery will be back at MacDill around 8 PM.

Mission Summary:

N42RF flew an NESDIS Ocean Winds mission into Hurricane Jeanne. Takeoff time was at 11:40 AM EDT from MacDill AFB, FL, and recovered at MacDill around 9:48 PM.

N42RF was able to successfully sample all quadrants of the hurricane from 7000 feet, during which 29 dropsondes were released. All instruments and equipment performed well. Two lines of AXBTs were dropped ahead of the storm, spaced roughly 0.5° apart and parallel to its forecasted track. 15 out of 16 of the AXBTs worked and obtained upper ocean thermal observations. These included eight in the vicinity of Jeanne's 48 h forecast position. The observed SSTs were 26°C underneath the inner core but 28°C with MLD's of 45-60 m out ahead of it.

N42RF made 6 eye penetrations. The large eye was remarkably clear aloft and well organized. Low clouds, most of which were stratocumulus below about 3,000 ft, filled most of the eye with an occasional cumulus extending up to or just above flight-level. It had been thought that the cooler dry air that was wrapping around Jeanne from the north would erode the eyewall. The dry air, however, seemed to rotate around the eye at radii just outside the eyewall and not penetrate in. Another interesting aspect of the flight was the SST field in the storm and to the west. SSTs in the eye and eyewall of Jeanne were about 26°C, probably a result of mixing from the slow-moving storm. The sea warmed to 28°C from 200-400 miles to the west of Jeanne's position yesterday afternoon. It is speculated that the cooler SSTs were keeping Jeanne from intensifying significantly and the dryer air was being kept away from the inner core. There was a pronounced wavenumber-one asymmetry in the radar reflectivity as a result of some moderate shear as well.

Mike Black

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