****OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR****
****FOR****
****METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTINGRESEARCH****
**8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1500**
**Silver Spring, Maryland  20910**

 

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****NATIONAL PLAN****
****FOR****
****TROPICAL CYCLONE RESEARCH AND RECONNAISSANCE****
****1997-2002****

FCM-P25-1997Washington, DCJanuary 1997

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****FOREWORD****

	In Public Law 102-567, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) Authorization Act of 1992, Section 107, Congress mandated that theDepartment of Defense and the Department of Commerce establish a joint hurricanereconnaissance program "for collecting operational and reconnaissance data,conducting research, and analyzing data on tropical cyclones to assist theforecast and warning program and increase the understanding of the causes andbehavior of tropical cyclones."  The initial 5-year plan was sent toCongress in January 1994.  

	While "the Act" gives the Department of Defense (DOD) theresponsibility for maintaining, flying, and funding tropical cyclonereconnaissance aircraft and the Department of Commerce (DOC) the responsibilityfor data gathering and research, the responsibilities within the federalmeteorological community are actually shared.  The DOC, through NOAA'sAircraft Operations Center (AOC),operates two heavily instrumented WP-3Ds, which backup and complement the fleetof ten WC-130 aircraft that are operated by the Air Force Reserve's 53rd WeatherReconnaissance Squadron--the *HurricaneHunters*.  In October 1996, NOAA AOC began the initial flights of itsnew Gulfstream IV-SP; this next-generation research and reconnaissance aircraftwill be operational during the 1997 hurricane season.  In the DOD, the U.S. Navyhas an active tropical cyclone research program which effectively complementsNOAA' s research efforts.  

	The joint hurricane reconnaissance program described above is actually alongstanding program, facilitated under the auspices of the Office of theFederal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM). The purely operational aspects of the program are published annually in the*National Hurricane Operations Plan* (NHOP); the 34th edition of theNHOP was published in May 1996.  

	The *National Plan for Tropical Cyclone Research and Reconnaissance(1997-2002)*, the third in a series dating back to December 1990, details aprogram for tropical cyclone/hurricane research and reconnaissance that providesfor an improving level of service to adequately protect the citizens of thecoastal areas of the United States.  The objectives, outlined in Chapter 4, aredesigned to focus the cooperative efforts among the various research groups,both within and outside of government, and to provide for long-term improvementsin tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services.  Progress on theseobjectives will be reviewed at the annual Interdepartmental HurricaneConferences, hosted by the OFCM, as well as in updates to this plan.  

	The OFCM gratefully acknowledges the team of Science ApplicationsInternational Corporation (SAIC) scientists--Harry Nicholson, Charles Neumann,and Charles "Chip" Guard--for their valuable contributions to thisdocument.  

|  | Julian M. Wright, Jr.                             |
|--|---------------------------------------------------|
|  | Federal Coordinator forMeteorological             |
|  |    Services andSupporting Research |

 

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