A new study published in Meteorological Applications finds that changes in the flight track patterns of aircraft flying into storms to collect observations for weather forecast models could positively impact forecasts. Differences in where data is collected within a storm changes the model forecast. The largest impact could come from reconnaissance devices used to measure storm conditions […]
Read Full Article
AOML scientists observed the slow weakening of Hurricane Delta during the last NOAA P-3 Hurricane Hunter mission, tasked by the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) on the morning of October 9. Delta’s minimum central pressure gradually rose and surface wind speeds measured by the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) steadily lowered throughout the mission. Tail Doppler Radar (TDR) […]
Read Full Article
NOAA concludes Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) tasked reconnaissance for Major Hurricane Delta on October 9. The P-3 aircraft took off from Lakeland, FL, at 5:00 AM EDT to survey the system’s circulation. With the P-3 passing through the center multiple times, AOML scientists onboard and remotely supporting the missions continue to evaluate data collected from […]
Read Full Article
NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters continue around the clock monitoring of Hurricane Delta as it traverses the Gulf of America. Overnight flights on October 7 through midday October 8 found that Delta’s circulation is intensifying and expanding in size. The latest Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) tasked mission by the NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft detected […]
Read Full Article
Hurricane Delta made landfall on the Yucatan peninsula, just south of Cancun, Mexico, on the morning of October 7. As the hurricane moves back over water and enters the Gulf of America, the NOAA P-3s and G-IV aircraft continue Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) tasked flights for operations. AOML hurricane […]
Read Full Article
NOAA aircraft reconnaissance continued for Major Hurricane Delta on October 6, capturing the system’s quick maturation overnight. P-3 and G-IV missions are scheduled every 12 hours from Lakeland, FL. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) tasked NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters to identify the location and strength of the circulation center, and to survey the atmospheric conditions nearby […]
Read Full Article
Aircraft reconnaissance operations began today to investigate the location and strength of Tropical Storm Delta’s circulation. Tasked by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), NOAA’s P-3 aircraft took off at 1 PM EDT from Lakeland, FL, on October 5. At an altitude of 5,000 feet, instrumentation will allow hurricane experts to diagnose the current state of […]
Read Full Article
Hurricane Field Program Data 2020 Storms 2020 Season Overview A Record-Breaking Season The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season had the most named storms on record and offered many opportunities for NOAA aircraft to collect a wide range of data in and around tropical cyclones. NOAA flew 678 hours from June 6th through November 11th for a [...]
Read Full Article
After a week of daily map discussions led by student forecasters at the University at Albany-SUNY, as part of AOML’s Hurricane Field Program, NOAA interest in Tropical Storm Gamma has resulted in planned reconnaissance missions starting at 5 AM EDT on Saturday, October 3. A target for an Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) tasking, the system […]
Read Full Article
Colleagues, family, and friends mourn the passing on Sept. 28, 2020, of Dr. James “Doc” McFadden, a dedicated public servant who, over the course of his 57 year career, has immeasurably influenced the evolution of airborne data collection at NOAA. Dr. McFadden most recently served as chief of programs for the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC), where […]
Read Full Article
