Mission Plan :

NOAA 43RF will conduct an NHC-tasked reconnaissance mission into TD09 in the Gulf of Mexico for a 1730Z center fix, alpha pattern beginning with NW to SE and NE to SW legs. If time allows, N43 will climb to 10 kft for a rotated Figure 4, and/or climb to a higher altitude and execute a lawnmower pattern in the environment ahead of TD09. The goal is to capture potential rapid intensification.

Mission Summary :

NOAA 43RF conducted an NHC-tasked reconnaissance mission into TD09 in the Gulf of Mexico. Data from 2500 ft, while 37 kt at FL, did not warrant an upgrade to a tropical storm. Once released from NHC-tasking after executing NW-SE and NE-SW legs, N43 climbed to 10 kft and flew the S to N and W to E legs of the rotated Fig. 4. Because of a lack of coverage in the SE portion of the disturbance, we flew SE and then returned from S to N. Overall, little precipitation was encountered upshear (W and N quadrants), although we were able to sample a new convective burst downshear on the SE side of the disturbance later in the flight. The low and midlevel centers were still largely misaligned.12 sondes were dropped while at a higher altitude on the turn and midpoints, as well as 2 drops near the center of TD9.

Jon Zawislak
Sept. 7, 2016

High Density Ob plots

Flight Level wind plots

SFMR wind plots

Flight track

Temperature and Moisture

Wind and Atlitude

Flight Director's log | Flight Director's manifest | NetCDF data | 1 second data | serial data

LPS log | Radar log | Drop log |

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