HRD and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) / National Science Foundation (NSF) Organization of Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) East Pacific Convection (OTREC) Experiment team (see for details: https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/otrec) flew a joint research mission yesterday (Sunday) with the NCAR/NSF G-V high-altitude airplane flying a lawnmower pattern around the disturbance environment associated with Invest 95E (EP95) in the East Pacific, while the NOAA P-3 (NOAA42, aka “Kermit”) flew a butterfly pattern sampling the circulations of the disturbance itself within their lawnmower pattern. The coordinated sampling was very successful.
HRD tasked a third research mission into EP95 today from Costa Rica, successfully completing another butterfly pattern. The goal of these flights is to understand how precipitation (rainfall) develops, creates, and interacts with circulations within a pre-hurricane disturbance and how that precipitation is involved in the formation (genesis) of a storm. The key measurements are the tail Doppler radar (TDR) on the P-3, which gives scientists a 3-D look at the rainfall and wind structure of the disturbance, as well as the dropsondes, which provide measurements on the circulation structure and the relative humidity of the environment surrounding those circulations.
The NOAA P-3 and NCAR/NSF G-V together on the ramp in Liberia, Costa Rica
The P-3 is scheduled for one last research mission tomorrow (Tuesday), taking off from Liberia, C.R. at 7am local (9am EDT). The plan is for another butterfly pattern to sample the potentially developing storm.
Flight plan for the P-3 research mission into Invest 95E on Tuesday
For the latest information about tropical cyclones and other weather systems, please visit the NOAA/NWS/National Hurricane Center.
To access updates on IFEX and other HRD activities via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS feed, check out the NOAA/AOML/HRD page.
To directly access updates on IFEX HFP Operations via our WordPress blog on the web, check the site: https://noaahrd.wordpress.com/category/ifex-hurricane-field-program/
DISCLAIMER: The above discussion is intended to provide a brief summary of recent and future HRD Hurricane Field Program Operations. Any use of this material beyond its original intent is prohibited without permission of the HRD Director. Media inquiries should be directed to Erica Rule (305-361-4541) or Erica.Rule@noaa.gov, Monica Allen (301-734-1123) or Monica.Allen@noaa.gov.