Twin States Weather Blog

Cool and Cloudy

* First, I'd like to apologize for not posting yesterday. I was on the road for most of the day, and then had to format the hard drive on my computer yesterday evening and into the night. So, I didn't get around to posting anything....

* Our weather is giving us a well-deserved break. We don't see much in the way of active weather for at least the next 4-7 days. There is an outside chance of a sprinkle or shower Wednesday and early Thursday, but most places will remain dry.

* I ran across an interesting article on a bulletin board for meteorologists. This is courtesy of Dan Brounoff from WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama:

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq(May 3, 2005) -- In a combat zone, accurate and timely weather predictions are vital for service members to complete their mission.

Tucked away in a small tent here, Cpl. Victor Rodriguez, meteorology and oceanography observer, G-2, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (Forward), has one of the few jobs where star gazing and cloud watching are allowed throughout the day.

Rodriguez makes hourly observations of visibility, sky conditions, winds and dew point using high technology equipment daily to gather information.

“I go outside every hour to take measurements,” said the Chicago native. “I observe the clouds and feel the wind speed.”

Rodriguez, who recently reenlisted, feels his job is important for everyone on camp.

“People need to know what the weather will be for day-to-day accomplishments,” he said. “Pilots especially need the information.”

The pilots get information from the weather van or the Air Traffic Control tower.

“The meteorology and oceanography Marines work closely with ATC to provide pilots with the information they need,” said Rodriguez.

There are two weather sensors on camp, known as the Weatherpak 2000.

“There are differences in wind speed and temperature in the two different locations, even though they aren’t very far apart,” he said.

Rodriguez has been going through old observations to make an archive of the weather patterns here. He said it has never been done before.

“I am going over all the old hourly observations,” he explained. “I’m not sure why it has never been done, but I think it’s because no one knew how long we’d be here, so they didn’t think it was necessary. But I am putting the information together so it can be used in the future.”

The weather center is operated 24-hours a day.

Cpl. Michelle L. Gottschalk, METOC technician, G-2, II MHG, II MEF (FWD), works with Rodriguez during the day shift. She fixes the equipment when it breaks and also orders supplies and does other duties.

Gottschalk, an Island Lake, Ill., native, knows the weather equipment well.

“We are a team,” Gottschalk said. “We are teaching each other our jobs. For instance, I tell him about the cables or some of the equipment, and he lets me help out with the balloons.”

Once a day, Rodriguez releases a weather balloon which has a Global Positioning System and other small equipment attached to it. It is capable of taking temperature, dew point, surface, wind and humidity readings. Another balloon is released during the night shift.

“If you blow up the balloon too full, it pops,” said the 22-year-old. “It just took me lots of practice to get it right. The balloons I release average around 80,000 feet. If it’s filled improperly, it will only go about 40,000 feet which is okay, but not the best.”

The balloon has to be between 200 and 300 grams of pressure, and Rodriguez said the balloon can be read within five minutes of its release.

“After I release the balloon, I go to the computer inside our van and start reading the information,” said Rodriguez. “We then use the information to put on our Web site to be seen by military personnel.”

This is his first deployment to Iraq.

“The difference in my job here is that I hardly ever work with ground operations in the rear,” he said. “I have to pay attention to detail all the time, but more so now.”

Rodriguez says his favorite part of the job is knowing what’s happening before other people know about it.

“When the last sand storm came in, we could see it on our readings, and we were able to let everyone know about it,” he said. “We get to pass the information along that no one else knows about.”

* Pretty interesting stuff...

posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 11:28 AM