3. Do you carry parachutes?

No. If we ever had a serious enough situation to consider bailing out over the ocean, we would be better off trying to ditch the aircraft. We do carry life preservers and there are two twenty-man rafts containing survival gear stowed in the aircraft's wings.

4. How much money do you make?

It depends on the individual's rank and years of experience, and whether or not he or she is a full-time Hurricane Hunter (an Air Reserve Technician, or ART) or a regular reservist. ART salaries are anywhere from $27,000 to $50,000 per year, whereas a reservist will make between $8,000 and $15,000 in a typical year.

5. Can I get a ride into a hurricane?

Sorry, but it's not likely. Only qualified crew members, public affairs representatives, and news media are allowed on storm missions. But you can take a Cyber Flight by clicking

here.

6. How can I become a Hurricane Hunter?

The first step is to talk to our recruiter (228-377-5236) at the 403d Wing and find out if you qualify for the Air Force Reserve and specifically for an opening in the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. We are always on the lookout for qualified, highly motivated individuals.

7. Are the aircraft's wings specially reinforced?

Believe it or not, they aren't. Remember that airplanes are built to go very fast through the air, and they don't care if the wind is 5 knots (nautical miles per hour) or 150 knots! As we approach the strongest winds in a hurricane, we simply turn gradually into the wind (called "crabbing") until we punch through into the calm eye. Although there are usually some bumps on the way through, they are nothing that the airplane can't handle (although the folks on board can occasionally get sick!).

8. What is it like to fly through a hurricane?

Hurricanes vary considerably in both size and intensity, but in general there are just a few "exciting" moments that usually occur during eyewall penetration. The eyewall is the ring of strongest winds closest to the eye, and we must fly through it to get the information we need. Remember, you can click

here to take a Cyber Flight!

9. What is a dropsonde?

It's a small tube with instruments in it that has a parachute attached. It also has a radio transmitter to send data back up to the airplane. At various places in the storm such as in the eyewall and at the center of a hurricane, the weather reconnaissance loadmaster will release the "sonde" into the storm. As it's falling, and right up until it hits the water, it sends temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and wind direction back to the aircraft at a rate of twice each second. This is the information the hurricane forecasters use to decide if the storm is getting stronger or weaker.

10. How do you get the sea-level pressure if you're below 10,000 feet?

We can estimate the pressure from the aircraft's instruments as long as we're no higher than 5,000 feet. Above that, we use the pressure instrument on a dropsonde launched out of the airplane to measure the surface pressure.

11. What's the main reason you have for flying into hurricanes, besides getting the pressure?

The exact location of the center is extremely important to the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Although they have excellent satellite photos that show the eye (that's how we know where to head to in the first place!), they can't tell where the pressure center is. Another important reason we fly is to give the forecasters accurate wind speeds within a 105 nautical mile radius of the eye. We can send wind speed data every 30 seconds as we make our cuts through the hurricane.

12. Why do the hurricane forecasters want all that wind speed data?

They use it to help tell them where the storm might go and whether it's getting stronger or weaker (along with the pressure). But, the most important use of the wind speed data is when the hurricane is approaching a coastline and is going to make landfall. The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have the awesome responsibility to decide how much of the coast needs to be evacuated and what types of watches and warnings to issue. Knowing precisely where the damaging winds are can make these difficult decisions a little easier.

13. Do you go into the eye just one time on each mission?

Most of the time we have enough fuel to allow us to make four center fixes on each mission. A center fix is simply when we mark the center and send a special message to the National Hurricane Center.

14. When you do four fixes, do you just fly back and forth through the storm?

Normally we try to go through different parts of the storm to give a more complete picture to the forecasters. If you want to see the pattern we usually fly, take the

Cyber Flight!

15. How long can your WC-130 airplane stay in the air?

We can carry enough fuel to fly for 14 hours, but that's it; we can't be refueled in the air (not that anybody would come out and do it for us anyway!). Our average hurricane missions last about 11 hours.

Here are a couple pictures from this mornings storms that may have awoken some of you (like me) out of bed. Both of these shots were taken from north of Ozark.























If you want to see the rest of the lightning pics from this morning click >HERE

This was the best lunar eclipse I have ever seen. The moon was just about 2/3 eclipsed when the red from all the world's sunsets began showing. Here is a montage showing the progress of the eclipse from start to total eclipse.

Just when warmer 850 mb temperatures were creeping back across our area, we may get spared from the real heat. A tropical disturbance in the Gulf is forecast to drift north over the next 48 hours. In turn, we'll likely see increasing chances for showers and storms on Wednesday, along with cooler temperatures thanks to the cloud cover.

This upper level disturbance could linger through the middle of the week, keeping clouds and showers and storms in our forecast.

If you missed the previous meteor show, don't worry, we're expecting a special show on the night of August 31. According to Bob Moody, President of the Arkansas/Oklahoma Astronomical Society, a historical meteor shower is expected during the morning of September 1.

Earth is about to cross the dust trail of comet Kiess, a comet that takes some 2000 years to complete one orbit around the Sun. The trail is very narrow, so Earth will be exposed to meteoroids for only about an hour and a half. The meteoroids will approach from the direction of the constellation Auriga, the charioteer, in the north-eastern part of the sky, causing a meteor shower called the "Aurigids."

These meteors have been calculated to be from the year 4 A.D. This is your only chance to see this shower; the dust trail is not going to hit again in our lifetime.

Go to the Illinois Watershed Partnership website to win prizes at WWW.IRWP.ORG

It is estimated that when rain falls on natural landscapes like forested areas, approximately half of the rainwater soaks into the ground, another 40% is lost into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration, and another 10% moves off-site through stormwater runoff. However, with urban development, increased impervious surfaces prevent much of the stormwater from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead, much larger volumes of runoff flow from rooftops, over paved areas, on saturated or compacted soil and across sloped lawns.

One impact of stormwater runoff is the collection and transport of soil, pet waste, pesticides, fertilizer, oil and grease, leaves, litter and other potential pollutants that are transported through storm drain systems. In a city, stormwater runoff entering a storm drain is discharged, untreated, into the waterbodies that our local communities use for swimming, fishing, and providing drinking water.

A second effect is the increased volume and speed that the stormwater generates as it is concentrated through the smooth, straight storm drain pipes. When this stormwater runoff reaches the drain outlet and empties into the receiving stream, the intense volume and power has a tremendous erosive effect on streambanks.

You don’t need a heavy rainstorm to carry pollutants into streams. Your home garden hose can supply enough water if you are washing your car in driveway, hosing stains or spills off the pavement or letting excess irrigation water spray into the street. Even if your home is not on a streambank, storm drains along your street gutter carry stormwater runoff from your neighborhood to the nearest body of water.

Stormwater is unavoidable, but you can minimize its effects by:
1) reducing the potential pollutants you might contribute before they are picked up in runoff
2) enhancing infiltration and reducing stormwater runoff

Take a close look within the eye of Hurricane Dean. There are actually several distinct sub-vortices, spiraling around within the center of the eye. Large Hurricanes often develop such phenomena. The spin around the center induces these smaller spins that also revolve in a counter-clockwise flow. Check out the still picture below.





The picture highlights possibly a "trio" of sub-vortices, though check out the picture below of Hurricane Isabel. Isabel remained a CAT5 for many days while at sea. During this time the eye did some amazing things such as captured in the image. This shot actually displays five distinct vortices, cycling around a center one.

This is an IR (Infrared) image from the polar-orbiting NOAA-18 satellite, displaying the eye of Hurricane Dean about 1 hour prior to landfall. Chetumal, Mexico is just to the south south west of the Eye (MMCM). The coldest IR brightness temperatures in the northern eyewall region were -83º C / -117 º F (black enhancement), while IR brightness temperatures within the eye region were as warm as +20º C/ 68 º F.

Just imagine... "expect a high of 68 F today with an overnight low of -117 F" :-o

The Gulf Coast is never usually hurricane proof, but we became protected when it came to Hurricane Dean's track. A dominant ridge of high pressure has been established across the southeast, which helped to keep Dean to our south. I have highlighted that high in the picture above. Notice the easterly upper level winds near Dean. Instead of turning north, Dean basically moved due west through the Caribbean.

Typically this high during the late summer sets up off the east coast near Bermuda. Meteorologists call this a "Bermuda High". That particular situation helps to usher systems into the Gulf where they move northwest toward the coast.

Fortunately, we had some atmospheric protection, but this gift may not last. The season will peak in the middle of September, so we have a few more months of the tropical weather season to endure. Stay tuned!

The hot summer sun is relentless, and we're definitely getting a taste of the heat this week. Here's a thought to cool you down, we're losing daylight each day; moreover, less daylight means we're moving toward fall, and that means an opportunity for cooler weather.

Today the sun rose around 6:42 a.m. and will set around 8:00 p.m. On August 31 the sun will rise at 6:49 a.m. and will set at 7:46 p.m. What a difference a few days makes. We lose around 21 minutes of potential heating from today until the last day of August. Less light means less heating, so think about that when you're sweating bullets in the 90 degree heat.

How nice was this past weekend? Ok, we could have used a lot more rain, but the clouds and the 80 degree temperatures were perfect. Unfortunately, August heat is returning, and with a bit of a vengeance. I admit I thought after the weekend we were on the downhill slide, whoops, bad error in judgement. Come on, you know you had the same thought! This is Arklahoma, and September can be a scorcher! Take a look at the 90 day outlook for our area. Looks like the chance for above average temperatures will carry us right into fall. 850 temperatures increase this week, so expect highs in the 90s right into the weekend.




On the other hand, I should not be complaining about our tranquil weather. My heart goes out to those impacted by Hurricane Dean. This storm is a Category 5 monster! Jamaica for the most part was fortunate, but look at this satellite picture of the Yucatan Peninsula. Here is a picture of Dean while he was a minor tropical disturbance. It's hard to believe a blob of convection can turn into something so organized!

Right now Dean is a violent category 4 hurricane passing over the island of Jamaica. Fortunately, the eye wall has dodged the island, but hurricane force winds continue to pound the small island. Look at the pictures above! Talk about a close call.

The center of Dean was located about 70 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica. Reported sustained winds on the island have ranged from 80 to 100 mph. Maximum sustained winds within Dean are estimated at 145 mph.

Dean could strengthen into a category 5 hurricane before plowing into the Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday.

Now that Emily and Dean have come about quickly, it's now time to re-visit the predictions for the rest of the 2007 year. The National Hurricane Center forecasts an 85% chance for an above normal 2007 tropical season. They also go on to predict between 13 to 16 named storms.






The peak of the hurricane season is typically during the month of September, and eventually weakening throughout October. Take a look at this graphic from the National Hurricane Center. These are the conditions that make the case for an above average year.

Bookmark this link: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

When it rains it pours and when it's dry it's a desert!

Just a few days ago you could hear the crickets chirping, and now Flossie, Dean and Erin. That's how it seems to go sometimes, all or nothing at all. We may be thanking Erin for our first bout of rain this Saturday. Hopefully our withered lawns and dried up soil will let a little water sink in. Baked ground isn't the most porous, that's why flash flood issues arise whenever more than a few inches of rain fall in a short amount of time in desert regions. At this point, it’s looking like a lot of moisture will be moving inland courtesy of Erin. Parts of Texas may see a foot. There has been agreement that some of this will curve around and pass through our area. From then onwards eyes will be on what Dean does. A few long-range tracks take the storm dangerously close to New Orleans. We shall see.

Go to the Illinois Watershed Partnership website to win prizes at WWW.IRWP.ORG

The average American uses around 200 gallons of water each day. About half of that water may be used for landscaping and gardening, depending on climate and time of year. This is an immense amount of clean water - and your plants need only a small portion.

Because most plants can tolerate at least short dry periods, watering should be timed to meet the biological needs of the plants. Plants can absorb only so much water and over-watering wastes water and can injure certain plants. Watering slowly and deeply (1''-1½ '' once per week) helps develop deep roots; in the long run your plants will need less frequent watering. The plants that seem to benefit most from shallow watering are the ones you don’t want – weeds!

Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses deliver their water to the intended plants efficiently. By choosing and operating a watering system correctly you can reduce water bills, fungal diseases and maintenance requirements. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, install a rain shut-off device or sensor that will override the system when adequate rain has fallen.

For best results, water in the early morning (4 a.m.-7 a.m.) when temperature and wind speeds are at their lowest and evaporation is reduced. Also, grasses will be less susceptible to fungus if you apply water at the time dew normally forms. For grass watering, apply 1'' to 1½'' of water when the grass shows signs of distress (bluish-gray color, folded leaf blades). Then, do not water any more until the symptoms reappear.

Gradually reduce watering to see if plants can tolerate less water. There is usually very little need for watering from fall through spring, and you should always turn off automatic systems if rainfall is consistent.

Remember, like a summer storm, runoff from a sprinkler can wash soil, lawn chemicals, pet waste and other pollutants into storm drain that empty directly into lakes and streams.

What you see here is a collection or grouping of forecasting model solutions as to the future track of Dean. A tight spread represents model consistency. This infers more confidence in the projected path, though Tropical Storms, almost by nature, have been known to do some fluky things such as; loopty loops, a putting on of the breaks just before landfall only to curve back out to sea and hit hundreds of miles up / down the coast, as well as going from maximum to minimum strength and vice-versa in a seemingly beyond short amount of time!

This latest data suggests a strengthening of winds up to 103 knots (119 mph) in 120 hours time, making it a Category 3 storm!

What was a ragged depression a few days ago has now been upgraded to a tropical storm. T.S. Dean is now setting its sights on the Caribbean by the weekend, and the current track has Dean moving closer to Puerto Rico by Sunday. Notice the third picture I have included above. You can clearly see Dean's circulation, and although the convection is still primarily contained on the southern side of the storm, Dean is starting to intensify. The second picture (infrared) shows the flare up of convection increasing on the northern side of Dean, and this is a sign that the convection is starting to become more even spread throughout the storm.

The long range forecast varies after 5 days. Some models take Dean toward the East coast, while others take it toward the Gulf. If Dean moves over the Caribbean islands it will likely incur some weakening, but the winds aloft are very favorable for Dean to remain in tact, so we'll watch Dean very closely over the next couple of days.

Well, during the month of July, Ted and I seriously doubted the area would see 100 degree heat. We watched the bountiful rainfall quickly turn into hot sunshine, and ultimately, turn lush grass and trees into kindling. Then the 100 degree readings returned! Surface temperatures will stay near 100 over the next few days; however, a silver lining is now imminent, and we look to the Gulf of Mexico for the hope of cooler temperatures.

We're watching an upper level disturbance spark off convection over the open water of the Gulf. This low is anticipated to move northwest toward Texas by Thursday, and it could bring more cloud cover and a chance for a shower or storm by the end of the week.

Most importantly, the major high pressure dome will recede, and we'll get a break from the extreme heat for the upcoming weekend. Temperatures are forecast to drop into the low to mid 90s. No it's not a major cool down, but at least 100 will go away for the weekend.

This storm is in the central Atlantic and at this point does not have a name, though it will likely become Tropical Storm Dean. There has been good forecast model consistency that this system will continue to intensify and move along to the west northwest. Some forecast models bring this system into the Gulf in about a weeks time. At this point it is something to track and definitely bears watching.

I was thinking that since football season is right around the corner, I could try to write my blog using X's and O's to emphasize blocking! Maybe not.... Meteorologically speaking, we're dealing with a nasty ridge of high pressure with very little change through the upcoming week. Sacked and dropped for a loss!

Take a look at the picture above. We're seeing a trough in the West, and a trough in the East, and this is what we call a classic blocking pattern. Sandwiched between the two is a monster ridge that's dominating the central U.S. The two lows aren't going to move, and the ridge looks to sit tight.

You need a lot of west coast jetstream energy to bust this type of pattern; however, during this time of the year, the jetstream is rather weak, so don't expect drastic changes over the next 7 to 10 days.

The heat wave continues to soar along...

So, yesterday Fort Smith officially hit 100 F, a number that had so far been eluded for the Summer. Well today, once again Fort Smith crested in the 100s, topping out at 101 F. We'll cut to the chase... expect a 102 F come tomorrow!

Our air mass has been drying out and it's easier to both heat up and cool down. It takes more energy (from the sun) to heat up moist air than dry air, so air void of moisture, heats up at a quicker rate. At night, as air cools and condenses, heat is released. Air that is rich in moisture releases more heat and temperatures tend to stay up, Conversely, dry air, with less moisture cools at a quicker rate and temperatures tend to fall.

Check out some of these highs!

Arkansas

Booneville 104 F, Mena 104 F, Bella Vista 103 F, Mt. Ida 102 F, Springdale 100 F

Oklahoma

Poteau 102 F, Kiamichi 102 F, Broken Bow 101 F, Grove 100 F, Tahlequah 100 F, Grove 100 F

I want to thank Jenny Chandler from Springdale, AR for sending us this picture. I'm sure most of you have seen beautiful rays like this before, but what exactly are they, and how do they form?

You're looking at many different crepuscular rays! The ray's are formed by light that becomes scattered. Many different particles can act as scatterers. Snow, rain, and dust are all capable of scattering light. In addition, the atmosphere itself can scatter enough light to see the sunbeams by way of Rayleigh scattering.

Whatever the method of scattering, the visible beams will appear to diverge from the sun and spread out over a portion of the sky. You will notice in the above image that the rays appear to converge to a point. Also note from the image that the rays become less apparent the farther they are from the solar point.

There's no doubt about it where in the thick of it. Hello Summertime!

Temperatures look to remain some 5 to 8 degrees above average for the next 7 days. When you factor in all of the Gulf moisture, heat indices may be running as high as 110 F. Remember to: Drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen (at least 15 SPF), seek air conditioning or an area lake or pool, and keep a check on your pets, children and the elderly!

Keep Cool and have a Great Weekend!

TZ