Mission Summary
20020925N1 Aircraft 49RF
Synoptic Surveillance flight
around Tropical Storm Lili 2002

Scientific Crew (49RF)
Sonde ScientistStan Goldenberg
Sonde ScientistSean White
Mission Plan :

The G-IV jet, with scientific crew of Stan Goldenberg and Sean White, conducted an NHC-tasked synoptic surveillance mission around Tropical Storm Lili at the nominal time of 00 UTC/September 25. Take-off time was at 1:30 PM EDT from MacDill AFB and landed at 9:10 PM AST in St. Croix, USVI.

Mission Summary :

At 7:37 PM (EDT) a call was placed to the Hurricane Specialist on Duty, Richard Pasch. The following important information was relayed :

  1. Deep-layer mean winds are from the ENE ahead of the storm.
  2. Surface center is at about 13°N 70°W. The lowest sonde pressure is 1005.1 mb. There is a slight northward tilt with height up to 700 mb where the circulation disappears.
  3. There is a cyclonic circulation 500 km northeast of the storm from 400 mb to 500 mb.
  4. The 200 mb flow ahead of the storm is divergent.
  5. There are SSE winds at 200 mb over the storm.
  6. There is a strong deep-layer trough northeast of Puerto Rico with an anticyclonic circulation to the west.
  7. There is a cyclonic circulation over eastern Cuba from 250 mb to 400 mb.
  8. There are weak surface winds, no westerlies south of the storm.

Problems :

  1. There were problems with winds on several sondes at the start of the flight, we think from Cuban radio interference.
  2. The system froze during descent of drop #10.


PDF plots of drop data

Lili
PLANNED mission drops
Aircraft: N49RF Takeoff: 25/1730Z Landed: 26/0210Z
DROP LOCATIONS
Drop # LAT
(d m)
LON
(d m)
TIME
(h:mm)
1 21 3076 001:12
2 20 0073 301:35
3 18 3074 301:50
4 16 2773 572:07
5 16 1576 002:24
6 14 3075 002:40
7 14 2873 082:55
8 13 3070 543:15
9 14 2868 393:35
10 14 1566 303:52
11 16 3066 004:11
12 16 3067 504:26
13 19 0068 004:46
14 20 0070 545:11
15 21 0769 035:28
16 22 1567 125:45
17 23 2265 206:02
18 24 3063 306:20
19 22 3062 006:40
20 21 3063 456:56
21 20 3065 307:12


Lili
PLANNED mission turns
Aircraft: N49RF Takeoff: 25/1730Z Landing: 26/0210Z
TRACK DISTANCES
Drop # LAT
(d m)
LON
(d m)
RAD/AZM
(nm/dg)
LEG
(nm)
TOTAL
(nm)
TIME
(h:mm)
0MACDILL0.0. 0:00
121 30 76 00533. 533. 1:12
220 00 73 30171. 704. 1:35
318 30 74 30107. 811. 1:50
416 27 73 58 180/269 127. 938. 2:07
516 15 76 00120.1058. 2:24
614 30 75 00120.1179. 2:40
714 28 73 09 180/225 109.1288. 2:55
813 30 70 54 180/180 145.1433. 3:15
914 28 68 39 180/135 145.1578. 3:35
1014 15 66 30128.1706. 3:52
1116 30 66 00138.1844. 4:11
1216 30 67 50 180/90 108.1952. 4:26
1319 00 68 00150.2102. 4:46
1420 00 70 54179.2281. 5:11
1524 30 63 30505.2787. 6:20
1622 30 62 00148.2934. 6:40
1720 30 65 30235.3170. 7:12
18ST CROIX 173.3343. 7:35


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