Mission Plan :

Proposed track

NOAA 43RF will carry out a TDR missions into Tropical Storm Karen. The P-3 will leave MacDill AFB, FL 0600 UTC and will recover at MacDill AFB, FL by 1300 UTC the same day. As of 7 p.m. CDT October 3 (0000 UTC October 4), Tropical Storm Karen is located within 20 nautical miles of 23.8°N 88.9°W, about 360 mi (580 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Maximum sustained winds are 55 knots (65 mph, 100 km/h), with stronger gusts. Minimum central pressure is 999 mbar (hPa; 29.50 InHg), and the system is moving to the north-northwest at 10 knots (12 mph, 19 km/h). Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 mi (220 km) from the center of Karen.

Mission Summary :

TS Karen: Visible Satellite Imagery (1845Z)

This flight was a 8h duration, NOAA EMC-tasked operational mission. Real time TDR analyses, 20 GPS drops and 9 AXBTs were all transmitted in near-real time. The mission was conducted at 8K feet and was fully successful.

TS Karen NHC Forecast Track (5-day)

Expendables and drop points:

• GPS: Drops at all 8 end points, midpoints (8) and center (4). 21 GPS drops in all.
• AXBT: Endpoints (8) and one (1) at the center on leg 2-3. 9 AXBT drops in all.

Problems :

Joe Cione
Oct. 5, 2013