SFMR expands to all reconnaissance flights

[MiamiensisWx]

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080229_hurricane.html

There's more good news on the research front. Although SFMR was utilized on some flights during the 2007 season, the microwave radiometer will be incorporated on all NOAA flights in the 2008 season.

[HURAKAN]

Thank God!!!

Nice season ahead!

[KWT]

Thats cool news, it does seem to throw up sometime very suspect readings even when its not flagged as suspect but its another useful tool most of the time and gives the forecasters another way to estimate the strength of a system.

[Derek Ortt]

SFMR has been on all NOAA flights since the late 1990s.

Do you mean all AF flights?

[DanKellFla]

The current generation of this radiometer was first used on NOAA’s two WP-3D Orion aircraft in 2003 for research flights and then used operationally in 2005. Installation on the ten WC-130J hurricane hunter aircraft flown by the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron began in 2006 and was just completed.

[Recurve]

That is excellent news, and thanks for the clarifications Derek and Dan.

Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer is a useful tool.
"...the SFMR directly measures the surface winds and is not confined to a single point like the dropsonde. This constant measurement of surface winds gives the National Hurricane Center a more complete picture of the storm."
A fact sheet:
http://www.403wg.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=8314

[pojo]

our last aircraft just came back with the mod........ we are still working through the computer bugs and should have all planes ready for Hurricane season.

[wobblehead]

pojo,
I recently attended a meeting in which John Gordon, MIC, NWS Louisville, KY and Lt. Colonel Richard Henning, USAF Reserve, 53rd Weather Recon spoke about missions of the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters and a review of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Did you ever fly with these guys? They really had some intereseting tales and shared some great info. on their missions.

[pojo]

pojo,
I recently attended a meeting in which John Gordon, MIC, NWS Louisville, KY and Lt. Colonel Richard Henning, USAF Reserve, 53rd Weather Recon spoke about missions of the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters and a review of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Did you ever fly with these guys? They really had some intereseting tales and shared some great info. on their missions.

No & Yes. I didn't fly with John Gordon, but I do currently fly with Rich.

[wobblehead]

Rich gave a presentation during the SeCAPS 2008 held at U.S.A.
His presentation" An Examination of Flight Level, Dropsonde, SMFR, and WSR-88D Data in the Estimation of Surface Winds During the Landfall of Katrina" demonstrated that for the most locations along the MS coast there was a lag between the periods of the most intense convection related to the passage of multiple eyewalls, and the most destructive phase of the subsequent surge inundation.
His presentation impressed me with the fact that a storms structure and "phase of developement" if you will,may be more significant that its Safir Simpson rating.
Thanks for the job you folks do flying through these things. The data is invaluable.