# Presentation: 565495

## Air Force Weather

**Tropical Cyclone Preparedness and Response**

**Brig Gen David L. Johnson**
**Director of Weather**
**Headquarters USAF**

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## Overview

***Overview***

**Air Force Weather (AFW)**
**What we do; core processes**
**A key component of the national weather system**
** ****Air Force and Army exposure to tropical cyclone threat**
**Air Force tropical cyclone preparedness**
**Air Force tropical cyclone response**

- U.S. Air Force Photo

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## What we do

**Terrestrial Weather**

**Climatology**

**Space Weather**

***Ensuring DoD Operators***
***can “Exploit the Weather” ***
***for Battle***

***Air Force***
_***and***_
***Army***

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## Core processes

***Core processes***

**ALL ARE KEY TO PERFORMING OUR MISSION:**

*** ******DATA COLLECTION***

***ANALYSIS***

***DISSEMINATION***

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## AFW’s national role

***AFW’s national role***

**Data Collection**

**Analysis**

**Tailoring**

**Forecasting**

**Dissemination**

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## AFW’s national role

**Tropical cyclone reconnaissance in Pacific region; AF Weather Agency (AFWA) provides satellite fixes **
**Partnered with Navy in Joint Typhoon Warning Center, protecting US Government interests in Pacific region, Indian Ocean, westward to east coast of Africa**
**53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (AF Reserve Command) provides aerial reconnaissance **
**AFWA provides regional forecast models worldwide**
**AFW personnel collect vital data in tropical cyclone affected areas around the globe**

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## A continuing role...

**Participation in the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)**
**First launch  ~2010**
**Multi-spectral imaging and sounding -- improved tropical cyclone reconnaissance **
**Co-sponsor of National Research Council study on future radar capabilities beyond WSR-88D (NEXRAD) **
**Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) Model **
**Fully coupled with land and sea surface, high resolution, improved physics, improved data assimilation**
**Tool for track and intensity forecasting**

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## Tropical cyclone threat

***Tropical cyclone threat***

**US Air Force - ****27 major installations, 450,000+ airmen, civilians, family members**

**US Army - ****22 major installations, 635,000+ soldiers, civilians, family members**

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## Tropical cyclone threat

***Tropical cyclone threat***

**NOAA Photo**

**12 major AF and Army installations and the Fleet threatened by typhoons **

**100,000+ airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, civilians, and their family members**

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## Preparing ourselves

**National Hurricane **
**Operations Plan**
**(OFCM)**

**Growing Forecasters, building expertise**
**Graduate education, formal training**
**Improving operational techniques**

**Base/Post-level preparation**
**Detailed plans**
**Pre-season exercises**
**Education - base/post newspaper & TV**

**Take the following actions...**

- U.S. Air Force Photo

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## Helping others prepare

**Carrying the hurricane awareness message to leaders and citizens**

**Airshows**
**Media Flights**

- U.S. Air Force Photos

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## Response - forecasting

**AFWA regional model predictions**
**Send track and intensity forecasts to Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) **
**Available to TPC/NHC for consideration--additional integration this summer**
**Forecasts and warns for all US Government interests from pole to pole**
**Where TPC/NHC provides official track and intensity forecast, AFW provides tailored forecasts for bases/posts and other AF and Army decision makers**

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## Response - disseminating

**AFWA provides gridded forecast information to various agencies, particularly for inland flooding**
**US Army Corps of Engineers, US Geological Survey, Korean Meteorological Agency**
**Joint AF/Army Weather Information Network**
**Bases and Posts**
**Base cable TV, radio, telephone, security forces, loudspeakers across installation**
**Point weather warnings via phone, fax, pager to locations without dedicated weather team**
**Tailored to specific location and decision maker**

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## Local response

***Local response***

**HURCON 4****:  72 hrs prior to 50 kt winds**
**Essential personnel report for duty, unit control centers open, general preparations, prepare aircraft to evacuate, loose outdoor items moved inside**
**HURCON 3****:  48 hrs prior to 50 kt winds**
**Shelters prepared, sandbags and plywood in place, food and water in place**
**High value equipment sheltered/covered**
**Begin aircraft evacuation, if appropriate**

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## Local response

***Local response***

**HURCON 2****:  24 hrs prior to 50 kt winds**
**Curtail non-essential activities, evacuate non-essential personnel if appropriate, shelters are ready, continue evacuation of aircraft if not complete, shelter non-essential vehicles**
**HURCON 1****:  12 hrs prior to 50 kt winds**
**People report to shelters and evacuation completed, airfield closed, shelter emergency vehicles, possibly cut off electricity**

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## On the horizon

***On the horizon***

**Weather effects decision aids **
**High resolution wind forecasting with MM5 or WRF for input into storm surge models**
**Improving satellite analysis techniques**
**WC-130J for 53rd Wx Recon Squadron**
**NPOESS era beginning in ~2010**
**Future radar capabilities beyond WSR-88D**

- SeaWIFs-Orbimage

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## Summary

***Summary***

**It takes the national weather TEAM to protect the lives and property of our citizens!**

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