Mission Summary
20020930N1 Aircraft 49RF
Synoptic Surveillance flight
around Hurricane Lili 2002

Scientific Crew (49RF)
Sonde ScientistChris Landsea
Sonde ScientistRob Rogers
Mission Plan :

The G-IV jet, with scientific crew of Chris Landsea and Rob Rogers, conducted an NHC-tasked synoptic surveillance mission around Hurricane Lili at the nominal time of 00 UTC/October 1. Take-off time was at 1:30 PM EDT from MacDill AFB and landed at 10:10 PM EDT in MacDill AFB, FL.

Mission Summary :

A phone call was made to the Hurricane Specialist on Duty, Stacey Stewart. The following important information was relayed :

  1. Deep-layer mean ridge is to the north of the system, with no sign of a ridge axis. An upper low in the Gulf of Mexico has only small reflection in the deep-layer mean.
  2. The storm shows up in the deep-layer mean.
  3. At 200 mb, a moderate east to east-northeast flow is on the southwest side of the storm. It is unknown whether this is due to shear or an outflow jet.
  4. There is an upper low/trough in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 200 to 400 mb.
  5. There is a weak cyclonic circulation from 250 to 400 mb just southeast of the storm.
  6. There is very dry atir at 700 mb over the northern Bahamas and in much of the Gulf of Mexico. The air is moister at 850 mb.
  7. There are no surface winds over 20 kts.

PDF plots of drop data

Lili
PLANNED mission drops
Aircraft: N49RF Takeoff: 30/1730Z Landed: 01/0210Z
DROP LOCATIONS
Drop # LAT
(d m)		 LON
(d m)		 TIME
(h:mm)
1 27 3077 300:38
2 26 1575 550:54
3 25 0074 201:10
4 25 0075 551:22
5 25 0077 301:35
6 23 1479 311:56
7 22 5276 562:17
8 22 3074 202:37
9 20 0074 002:58
10 19 3476 453:20
11 19 0979 313:42
12 18 1281 474:02
13 19 0984 044:22
14 21 0984 544:39
15 22 3087 004:59
16 23 1484 045:23
17 25 0085 005:39
18 25 0087 075:55
19 25 0089 156:12
20 25 0091 226:28
21 25 0093 306:45
22 27 3093 307:05
23 27 3590 457:27
24 27 4088 007:48
25 27 4585 158:09

Lili
PLANNED mission turns
Aircraft: N49RF Takeoff: 30/1730Z Landing: 01/0210Z
TRACK DISTANCES
Drop # LAT
(d m)		 LON
(d m)		 RAD/AZM
(nm/dg)		 LEG
(nm)		 TOTAL
(nm)		 TIME
(h:mm)
0MACDILL0.0. 0:00
127 30 77 30284. 284. 0:38
225 00 74 21234. 518. 1:10
325 00 77 30180. 698. 1:35
423 15 79 31 180/45 157. 854. 1:56
522 30 74 21301.1155. 2:37
620 00 74 00151.1307. 2:58
719 10 79 31 180/135 326.1632. 3:42
818 12 81 48 180/180 145.1777. 4:02
919 10 84 05 180/225 145.1922. 4:22
1021 09 84 54 180/269 129.2051. 4:39
1122 30 87 00146.2196. 4:59
1223 15 84 05 180/315 174.2370. 5:23
1325 00 85 00118.2488. 5:39
1425 00 93 30486.2974. 6:45
1527 30 93 30150.3124. 7:05
16MACDILL620.3744. 8:30

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