The WEATHER SHELTER

Published monthly by the North Jersey Weather Observers

Volume XX Number 12 December 2000

Web Address: http://www.njwo.org

Important Reminders:

This month's meeting is Wednesday December 27th at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome. Club members will meet at the Bergen County Museum of Art and Sciences

Please remember to send all correspondence to be printed in "The Weather Shelter" in electronic format to: nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

This month's meeting is the club's annual CHRISTmas party. Bring your family and friends! There will be plenty of food and drink for everyone! Perhaps we will have some of the white stuff on the ground for the event? Be there! You won't be disappointed.

Year 2000 Schedule:

Unless otherwise notified - Last Wednesday of every month. Guests are welcome. Please mark these dates on your weather calendar and see if you can make it.

* Please note that the mention of any kind of weather record in this publication is based solely from the period that official weather records commenced. Obviously, no one knows what occurred hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Did you know? The water content of snow during a snowstorm varies with intensity? Most people use the ten to one ration i.e. 10 inches of snow equals 1" of rain. Remember, this is just an "average". You will find ratio's as low as 5 to 1 (heavy, wet snow) and as high as 18 to 1 (very dry powdery snow).

The WEATHER SHELTER

A Word from the Editor

The electronic Shelter is working great! It can only get better. We encourage everyone to submit articles; facts or any weather related material. Since the club's inception, we have never produced and transmitted this newsletter using any other method then the standard postal service.

This is a tremendous opportunity for the club, as this will allow us to reach many, many more people of all backgrounds who are interested in the weather. In addition, postage will never be a problem since we do not have to worry about the weight of the document to be sent. The computer age is here! Remember, this newsletter will be posted on the club's web site at:

www.njwo.org. Download a copy for a friend.

Our own public relations Chairman Bob Ziff and his wife Bonnie have volunteered their time and effort in producing the hard copy of the Shelter to those who still wish to receive a hard copy and do not have access to the Internet. Thanks to the Ziff's. The first production looked fantastic!

Please e-mail any articles, stories and weather data you would like published. Deadline is 10 days prior to the club's next meeting. My e-mail address is: nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Nick Stefano

Electronic Editor

Officers and Committee Chairs

President: Robert Draper 201-394-8525

Vice President: Nick Stefano 973-702-9090

Secretary: Dennis O'keefe 914-255-7374

Treasurer: Albert Manganelli 973-983-0063 adman@bellatlantic.net

Sergeant at Arms: Gregory Petridis 908-352-1876

Standards: Nick Stefano 973-702-9090 nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Public Relations: Bob Ziff 201-236-1021

Scholarship: Russ Stammer 201-337-8501

Hotline: Gregory Petridis 973-628-6869

NJWO Web Master: Dave Dabour 908-995-7114 dabour@att.net

NJWO Homepage: http://www.njwo.org

Editor: Robert Ziff/ Bonnie Ziff

Electronic Editor: Nick Stefano nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Send articles to: Electronically nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

Send Club dues to: Albert Manganelli / Treasurer

11 Darlington Drive

Rockaway Township, NJ 07866

Regular …….$25.00/year Student:…….$15.00/ year

The WEATHER SHELTER

NJWO Friends,

We now have an additional, easier to remember web address for the NJWO web site:

http://www.njwo.org

The .org extension was chosen as this is traditionally used for non-profit organizations as NJWO is considered one.

This is NOT a new web site, just another, easier web address to remember and to advertise. The other addresses will continue to work as well. They are:

http://njwo.tripod.com

http://members.tripod.com/njwo

If the new web address does not work immediately for you where you are, give it another day to propagate throughout the Internet. If it still does not work then, please email me back to let me know.

Dave

H David Dabour

NJWO Webmaster

Hello to all. Here are all the NJWO e-mail addresses that I have on my list.

-- Dennis.

adman@bellatlantic.net Albert Manganelli stormwarning1@juno.com Gregory Petridis

Chris_Standal@ziffdavis.com Chris Standal rncakeil@aol.com Dick Keil

dabour@att.net Dave Dabour KeithGalley@scientist.com Keith Galley

mckims@mail.lsc.vsc.edu Scott McKim BBZ@worldnet.att.net Bob Ziff

JHayday1@yahoo.com Jason Hayday weatheramerica@msn.com Larry Cosgrove

jadle@earthlink.net Joe Adams nick@sussexcountyinfo.com Nick Stefano

okeefed@newpaltz.edu Dennis O'Keefe drobins@rci.rutgers.edu Dave Robinson

Weather147@aol.com Steven Nascimento alomar8@aol.com Drew Pizzulo

Petridis@juno.com Art Petridis

Temperature Conversion Formulas

F = 1.8C + 32 C = 5/9 (F-32)

The WEATHER SHELTER

NORTH JERSEY WEATHER OBSERVER - Meeting minutes -

Wednesday, November 29, 2000

By Dennis O'Keefe, Secretary

At meeting time it was 43 degrees and overcast. Vice President Art Petridis called the meeting to order at 7:42 p.m. We began with our traditional self-introductions. There were 30 members attending. A sign up sheet for the snow forecasting/guessing contest was passed around.

The meeting schedule for 2001 was published. In several months, our meeting will be a week earlier than usual. A speaker for the April 18th meeting was scheduled. He is Andy Horwitz, head of the National Weather Service's Cooperative Observers program. Dennis O'Keefe heard him speak at the meeting

of the Hudson Valley Weather Observers and arranged for him to come to an NJWO meeting.

The electronic editor of The Weather Shelter, Nick Stefano, and requested article be submitted to him for publication. Bob and Bonnie Ziff are distributing paper copies of our newsletter. Contact Bob if you are not getting one.

Art Petridis will plan on having 35 people for the holiday party on Wednesday, December 27th. Family and guests are invited. Contact Art if you will be attending. We will start at 7:00 p.m.; a half-hour earlier than a usual meeting.

Chris Standal announced the Nominating Committee's recommendations for officers for next year.

President, Bob Draper

Vice President, Nick Stefano

Secretary, Dennis O'Keefe

Treasurer, Chris Standal

Sergeant-at-Arms, Gregory Petridis

The members attending voted the slate in. Bob Ziff sent word that our data was used in one article during the month.

Larry Cosgrove announced that his television station, WWOR/9, was starting a weather network. Contact him at WxAmerica@aol.com if you would like to be involved with that.

President-elect Bob Draper suggested beginning our meetings at 7:00 p.m. next year. There was a consensus that that was too early for some members traveling a distance after work, but that we would try to aim for the announced 7:30 start time that is rarely met in practice.

David Robinson said that the weather network associated with his office of State Climatologist is progressing.

Following the refreshment break, the evening's speaker was David Tolleris, who operates a weather company in Virginia. David's talk was on what you need to get a big eastern snowstorm. You can visit his web page at www.wxrisk.com

The WEATHER SHELTER

Here are some photos from last month's meeting

Special guest speaker DaveTolleris

Scott Gordon

The WEATHER SHELTER

NJWO NORTH JERSEY NOTES, BY

GREG PETRIDIS

November was cold and dry, but began warm, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s on the first to fourth. The fifth through eighth were slightly cooler, with highs near 60 and lows near 40. The wind gusted to 30 MPH on the fifth.

A major rainstorm broke a 21-day streak without measurable precipitation on the ninth and tenth, delivering a combined total of 1.54" and a peak wind gust of 31 MPH. Highs were in the lower 60s and lows were around 50.

The eleventh through thirteenth continued the month's downward temperature spiral. Highs were in the mid 50s and lows were in the low to mid 40s.

The fourteenth through seventeenth were unsettled. Highs were in the low to mid 50s and lows were in the 30s. 0.28" of rain fell on the fourteenth and a trace fell on the sixteenth. The winds gusted to 32 MPH on the fifteenth and 31-MPH on the seventeenth.

The eighteenth and nineteenth were fair but chilly. Highs were in the 40s and lows were around 30. Our season's first freeze occurred on the nineteenth, with a low of 29.

The twentieth through 22nd were unsettled. Highs were in the upper 30s and lows were in the mid to upper 20s. 0.06" of rain fell in a thunderstorm on the twentieth and a trace of snow, our season's first snow flurry, fell on the 21st. The winds gusted to 32 MPH on the 22nd.

The 23rd through 25th were fair but cold. Highs were in the upper 30s and lows were in the mid 20s.The 26th through 28th featured a warm-up, ushered in by a major rain event. 1.40" fell on the 26th. Highs were in the lower 50s and lows were around 40.

The month ended unsettled. Highs were in the upper 40s and lows were in the mid 30s. 0.21" of rain fell on the 29th, and a trace of snow fell on the thirtieth.

The WEATHER SHELTER

MONTHLY SUMMARY - NOVEMBER, 2000

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.

A dry weather pattern that dominated the month of October in the Philadelphia region continued through mid November. Beginning on the 20th however, a series of storm systems yielded rain and the seasons first snowflakes. Precipitation again totaled below normal at 3.02”. For the period from 9/27-11/24 only 2.69” had fallen locally.

Temperatures averaged 43.5 degrees. Winter-like readings occurred during the week of Thanksgiving. Golden autumn weather that marked the end of October extended into the first 3 days of the month, featuring bright sunshine, mellow warm afternoon highs in the 60s & gentle N-W winds. Varying sky conditions with a change to cooler & windier conditions prevailed through the 8th. Wind speeds on the 5th gusted around 30mph.

A strong storm system brought significant rainfall (0.89”) to the area on the 9th into the 10th, ending 21 consecutive days without precipitation. The heaviest rain fell during early morning hours of the 10th. Strong & gusty WNW then NNW winds prevailed in the storms wake through the 12th with gusts exceeding 30mph. Cloudcover blanketed the region much of the time as low pressure stalled & settled southward over the ocean. Winds shifted east-south on the 13th under mostly cloudy skies.

A strong cold front produced rain on the 14th followed by partial clearing, increasingly windy & colder conditions late in the day. On the 15th, blustery winds gusted around 30mph while sunshine gave way to cloudcover. A reinforcing cold front on the 16th caused evening sprinkles. Gusty WNW winds continued on the 17th & 18th under mainly sunny skies. The 19th turned out mostly cloudy while a storm south of here caused snow in western North Carolina.

The 20th turned out to be an interesting day weatherwise. An overnight low of 20 degrees established a new record at my station, accompanied by heavy frost. It was the first hard freeze experienced this autumn season. During the day mostly cloudy skies replaced morning sunshine with the temperature recovering to a high of 45. From late afternoon into early evening a strong cold front triggered rainshowers accompanied by gusty west winds. A few flashes of lightning & rumbles of thunder occurred a short time later. Rain changed over to light snowshowers as the mercury dropped into the mid 30s. Snowfall became moderate then ended abruptly. Simultaneously as it ended, a clear, starry sky appeared while the sharp outline of the departing cloudmass was observed drifting rapidly eastward.

In the wake of the frontal passage, winter-like cold reminiscent of the 1989 season along with gusty W-N winds & wind chills between zero & 20 degrees was experienced in the area from the 21st-24th. High temperatures peaked in the mid & upper 30s with lows in the 20s. Thanksgiving Day turned out quite nice under mostly clear skies, although it was windy & cold.

A strong storm system moving northeastward from the southern states produced rain, moderate-heavy at times & gusty east winds from late evening on the 25th through most of the morning on the 26th. Rainfall totaled 1.38”, causing some minor street flooding. This was enhanced by leaf piles along roadsides awaiting pickup. Temperatures rose through the 40s, peaking at a high of 59 in the afternoon. Fog developed then dissipated during the late morning. Unsettled skies, blustery winds & mild temperatures prevailed on the 27th & 28th.

The passage of a storm system late in the afternoon & evening on the 29th produced rainshowers, accompanied by at least one flash of lightning & thunder. Heavier thunderstorms developed east of the area as the storm intensified. On the 30th, backwash cloudcover & strong WNW winds gusting near 35mph at times prevailed throughout the day. A period of light rainshowers occurred in the morning.

Observer: Michael Cerio

Station: King of Prussia, Pa.

County: Montgomery

Elevation: 185’

The WEATHER SHELTER

Road Safety: Severe Winter Weather Safety

Extreme weather and storms can kill. It is estimated that more than 1 million motorists are involved in accidents due to adverse weather conditions. So please take the time and make the effort to protect you and your family this winter.

The following information will help you prepare for the worst and remain safe on the roads this winter:

ü Have your car checked and "winterized"

ü Always have a full tank of gas

ü If ever stuck in your car, stay there and keep engine running with the

ü Windows cracked

ü Check weather reports before traveling

ü Avoid exposure to the elements and dress warmly

ü Don't over exert yourself

Question: What items do I need when traveling in cold weather?

Answer: Be prepared for a cold weather emergency; stock your vehicle with extra gloves, hats, blankets and a windshield scraper, shovel and thermal packs. Also carry sand, salt or calcium chloride. And, if you don't have snow tires, carry tire chains and practice how to use them so you know how in case of an emergency.

Question: What should I carry in my car in case of emergencies?

Answer: A "Call Police" sign often found on the back of store-bought sunshades; bright handkerchief or cloth; emergency phone numbers (e.g.,police, fire department, road service, friends and family); flashlight and extra batteries; wide-tip marker and message pad; emergency drinking water.

Question: How do I signal for help?

Answer: If at all possible, try to move your vehicle safely off the road. Turn on your emergency flashers/hazard lights. If you don't have a cell phone or CB radio, place a sign in the window that says "Call Police." Attach a handkerchief or bright piece of clothing to the outside of your car where it can be easily seen to signal for help, like on an antenna or door handle.

The above information was compiled from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric

Association, Count on Shell and the Tire Industry Safety Council.

H. David Dabour

NJWO Webmaster

http://www.njwo.org/

dabour@att.net

Atlantic Hurricane Names for 2001

Allison	Barry	Chantal
Dean	Erin	Felix
Gabrielle	Humberto	Iris
Jerry	Karen	Lorenzo
Michelle	Noel	Olga
Pablo	Rebekah	Sebatian
Tanya	Van	Wendy

The WEATHER SHELTER

A Modest Proposal

By: Joe Adams

Although it was almost a half-century ago, I remember when I went with a class to my first visit to the main station of the New York office of the United States Weather Bureau. A young man, a weather observer gave us a tour and as part of the tour he took us on his rounds. He showed us all the instruments including the fascinating sling psychrometer for humidity. He showed us how he recorded the data on a special sheet. He showed us how he estimated the visibility, the sky cover, the type of clouds, meanwhile writing it down. He showed us how he read wind directions from 16 possible directions and the velocity.

But the highlight was collections, mounted in book form, of past observations going back to 1870. Not only were the hourly observations present but also daily, monthly and annual means and extremes. Of particular interest was the precipitation not only the amount and the type but the exact times of beginning and ending. For example, a light snowfall (indicated by a star) would be noted as beginning at a specific time. Then as it would become mixed with rain or sleet, the time of that would be noted, as would the time when the precipitation would be all rain.

I found particularly fascinating the history of the all time champion snowstorm, the blizzard of December 26, 1947. I saw how it began as a light fall well before dawn, quickly became moderate and then heavy, tapering off at night and finally ending about 24 hours after it began. Amazingly, between 3 and 4 PM, .38 liquid equivalent was noted. Sleet, as indicated by a triangle with a dot, briefly mixed with the snow, but it could have been graupel.

Another point of interest was the fact that throughout most of the storm, the wind blew form the northwest. In a section of the sheet was a section devoted for notes and the observer duly noted that this was largest snowfall ever. He also showed us the page of February 9, 1934 when the temperature fell to -15 and in the notes was the comment that this was probably the lowest reading in New York since the area was colonized. As I looked at the temperature readings hour by hour, it was amazing to see the mercury struggle to reach zero!

From that day on, I would make occasional journeys to the Weather Bureau office, first on Battery Place and then to Rockefeller Plaza just to read those books containing the hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute, recordings of great and not so great weather events. I kept going until that terrible day when they moved to Upton and took those books with them. So hear is my proposal:

Prepare a computer database containing all the hourly, daily, monthly and annual observations. Perhaps they should be put on Read Only Memory disks. Make them available to anyone with a computer. If they wish to charge for the C.D.s, so be it. If an entire Encarta Encyclopedia could be put on one C.D., I'm sure that all the records going back to 1870 could be put on two.

Wouldn't it be great to take a C.D., shove it in the proper slot on our computers, and all the great weather events in the area including the blizzard of 1888, Hurricane Hazel of October 15, 1954, that gave us our strongest winds but hardly any rain and the ten-day heat wave of August-September of 1953 where on some nights the temperature did not fall below 90 till around midnight, would appear on our screens.

Storm's Intensity Surprises Everyone!

A late fall severe storm which produced heavy snow in the mid-west, caused incredible rains and winds here in New Jersey on December 17, 2000.

Lightning and thunder accompanied the heavy rain. Below is a lightning graph during the 24-hour period from Wantage, New Jersey

Heavy, heavy rains produced close to 4" at High Point and other areas of Sussex County, the states hardest hit county.

Numerous power outages and closed roads due to flooding and some mudslides made it a nasty day.

Rainfall totals for the day broke all-time records for a one-day precipitation event since records began in Sussex, High Point, Sparta and Wantage

The intensity of this storm was never predicted as rainfall amounts were predicted to be around 1". The winds also played havoc gusting to close to 60 mph. The storm ended late on the 17^th as snow.

The WEATHER SHELTER

Closest strikes occurred about 7 am as depicted on this graph

Incredible Winds!

On December 12, 2000 a cold frontal passage in New Jersey created incredibly strong winds around the state. Many areas exceeded 60-mph gusts!

Stewartsville recorded a high peak gust of: 61 MPH!

Not to be outdone, from the top of High Point Monument the peak gust reached 71 MPH! During one hour, the average sustained wind speed as 40 MPH!

See the hourly data below from High Point.

The WEATHER SHELTER

		High Point's Windy Day
	December 12, 2000 at the Monument
		Elevation at: 2,020 feet
Date	Time	Peak Wind Speed	Peak Direction	Average Speed
12/12/00	2:00	51	157.5	32
12/12/00	3:00	43	157.5	22
12/12/00	4:00	40	157.5	21
12/12/00	5:00	44	202.5	20
12/12/00	6:00	39	225	16
12/12/00	7:00	64	225	26
12/12/00	8:00	60	225	24
12/12/00	9:00	70	270	35
12/12/00	10:00	64	270	35
12/12/00	11:00	59	292.5	33
12/12/00	12:00	71	292.5	40
12/12/00	13:00	64	292.5	39
12/12/00	14:00	59	292.5	39
12/12/00	15:00	59	292.5	39
12/12/00	16:00	50	292.5	37
12/12/00	17:00	44	292.5	33
12/12/00	18:00	39	292.5	25
12/12/00	19:00	36	292.5	23
12/12/00	20:00	37	292.5	26
12/12/00	21:00	40	292.5	28
12/12/00	22:00	43	292.5	32
12/12/00	23:00	42	292.5	32
12/12/00	24:00:00	44	292.5	33
12/13/00	1:00	37	292.5	23
12/13/00	2:00	25	292.5	19
12/13/00	3:00	27	292.5	17
12/13/00	4:00	26	292.5	18
12/13/00	5:00	25	292.5	17
12/13/00	6:00	25	292.5	18
12/13/00	7:00	24	292.5	18
12/13/00	8:00	23	292.5	15
12/13/00	9:00	20	315	12
12/13/00	10:00	15	315	8.4
12/13/00	11:00	10	292.5	5.4
12/13/00	12:00	8.4	292.5	3.4
12/13/00	13:00	7.5	292.5	0.4

The WEATHER SHELTER

Chasers Christmas

'Twas the night before the chase, with the computers gathered around, not one SPC report showed promise, I said with a frown. The equipment was packed; all gizmos stored neatly, the van's roof with antennas, each one hid discretely.

This chaser was nestled, asleep in his bed, while visions of Twisters danced in my head. The next morning came early, high cirrus in sight, I finished my checklist, started the van in delight.

With dents in the hood, from the last chaser's trip, I headed down 80 pulling NWS off the whip. When out of the airwaves there arose such a clatter, of towers going up and some PDS matter.

Away down the road I flew like a flash, to a group of Cumulus in Texas, where storms grow love to blast. The dew temps were high, the deck was just right; the feeling of Pampa refreshed my sight.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but miniature funnels, each popping, then disappear. With a little old driver in front of me now, the posted limit shown 70, not 50, must get around.

I thought looking back was he alive, he wasn't quick, kind of looked like that fella, that old St. Nick. More chasers than pit stops, every road they all came, and I whistled over the CB, and shouted to them by name; "Now, Shane! now, BLAKE! now, John [Oldshue] and Sam! Lock on it, record it, and then do again!

To the top of the hill, to under the wall! Now snap a shot! Video shot! Capture it all!" As anticipation before the wild wind did fly, when mounted with an obstacle, falling from the sky. So up to the hillside we coursers we flew, with the vehicles full of toys, and Chuck Doswell too.

And then, in a twinkling, I felt from all around, the tingling sensation of lightning hitting the ground. With an anemometer in my hand, and was turning around, a van with a driver slowed down behind me when the rain came in bounds.

Out walked the man, dressed in weather apparel from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with mud and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked just like Santa opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry! His cheeks were like tan covered, his mustache kinda hairy! He had a broad face and a not much of a belly, maybe more from BK, and some rolls filled with jelly.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, filling my van with goodies; then turned with a jerk. And pointing at the Tornado crossing the land, I turned to the view as he jumped in his van.

He started the engine, and did a loud whistle, and away he did flew down the road just like a pistol. But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight, "HAPPY CHASING TO ALL, WATCH FOR LIGHTNING TONIGHT!"

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Created by

John LaJoie

THE DECEMBER SKY

A Solar Eclipse on Christmas!

Besides the usual delights of Christmas, December 25this year also offers the spectacle of a partial eclipse of the Sun, visible throughout all of North America with the exception of

Alaska. This is the fourth and final solar eclipse of 2000. If you add viewing it to your winter festivities, be sure to wear proper eye protection or learn how to view the eclipse safely. Those in the Eastern Standard Time zone get the longest period of viewing, with the eclipse beginning shortly after 11:00 a.m., EST, and concluding shortly after 2:00 p.m., EST. In Central Time zone regions, the event runs from about 9:30 a.m., CST, until noon, CST. Those on the West Coast should begin looking for it from about 8:00 a.m., PST, until 9:00 a.m., PST. The eclipse coverage of the Sun varies across the U.S., from over 60 percent in the northeastern states too less than 20 percent in the southwest.

See Moon phases and more sky highlights at

http://www.almanac.com/cgi-bin/heaven.pl?mooninput=current

The WEATHER SHELTER

Recruits Wanted!

The Meteorological Development Lab of the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland is currently recruiting students for its Student Career Experience Program. These full-time government positions (open to both graduate and undergraduate students) will start in January - February 2001.

We are currently looking for students with good computer programming skills in C, C++, and Fortran. Experience with Unix is highly desirable. Interest in tropical and extratropical storm surge modeling as well as forecast preparation and evaluation tools is a plus.

This is an excellent opportunity for those wishing to pursue a career with the NWS or in meteorology in general.

To apply, fax or email a copy of your resume and unofficial transcript to:

stephan.smith@noaa.gov

Fax: 301-713-9395

Students from Minority-Serving Institutions are highly encouraged to apply.

For more info check out www.nws.noaa.gov/tdl/ or contact Dr. Stephan Smith

at 301-713-1768 x160

The WEATHER SHELTER

Bringing the Shuttle Home

Air Force Space Command News Service

Patrick weather duo brings space shuttle home

By 1st Lt. Alana Austin, 45th Space Wing Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2000

PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Across the nation, people heard and read news reports that Space Shuttle Discovery was on its cross-country trek home from Edwards AFB, Calif. to Kennedy Space Center. It is somewhat of a novelty to see a space shuttle "piggybacking" across the country on a huge Boeing 747 aircraft.

What Americans didn't hear or read in the news was the huge Air Force involvement in such a critical mission.

Capt. Clif Stargardt and 2nd Lt. Barry Hunte, 45th Weather Squadron, made up the traveling weather support team for the ferry flight and held the undivided attention of NASA's flight management team last week.

"They listened to what we had to say and based potentially billion dollar decisions on us being right," said Stargardt of the high-profile responsibility. "If we're wrong, there's going to be some serious damage to a beautiful spacecraft."

The task of bringing the orbiter home, in terms of weather, is very intricate. There are seven extremely strict weather constraints for a ferry flight that can turn a seemingly simple flight across the country into a meandering obstacle for the 747 and Shuttle three miles above the ground.

Constraints include no flight through clouds; no flight in air cooler than 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 degree Celsius); no flight in air with an ambient pressure less than eight pounds per square inch (that's a 16,000 foot floor); no flight at night; no flight within 25 nautical miles of thunderstorms; no flight through moderate or greater turbulence; and finally, there can be no precipitation greater than "light" at overnight stopping points.

"The weather in the west and Midwest was very tricky," Hunte said. "A cold front formed and extended completely across the Midwest. It was extremely difficult to find a way across the frontal system."

The weather duo faced several challenges in forecasting the orbiter's flight path home. First, there was a tremendous storm system in the central part of the country threatening to cut off the route between Texas and Florida. Second, there were delays in getting the orbiter prepared for the flight, which started to limit the options of landing facilities with good weather. Third, a second system was projected to form, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to a couple of potential stopover points. Lastly, unexpected thunderstorms developed over Georgia during the last leg of the trip ... exactly where the route would take them.

Overcoming these challenges was dependent on a satellite communications system known as Track II. This system enabled the weather team to transmit near real-time messages and image files.

"The 'home' team Range Weather Operations [at Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station] kept us apprised of the situation via Track II and we were able to change flight routes early and avoid the [Georgia] area altogether," Stargardt said.

Stargardt and Hunte led the way for the modified 747 aboard an Air Force C-141 known as Pathfinder. The aircraft flies approximately 100 miles ahead of the orbiter and advises the aircrew on the best route to avoid bad weather.

People at Altus AFB, Okla. and Whiteman AFB, Mo. played key roles in bringing Discovery home. Both served as stopover points along the route home and provided important support functions for the ferry flight team.

According to Stargardt, the base weather stations leaned forward to assist them and made all ferry flight requests their top priority. The weather personnel proved to be a breath of fresh air for the two travel-weary meteorologists.

"When a maintenance issue with the Pathfinder aircraft came up, the folks at Altus were ready to work another C-141 for us in about an hour if we had needed it,2 Stargardt said. 3Whiteman had billeting and cars waiting for us at base operations right when we stepped off the plane.2 He added that the Department of Defense Manned Spaceflight Support Office, based at Patrick is an essential link for all NASA missions, including the ferry flight. When the C-141 Pathfinder was grounded at Whiteman AFB, two DDMS landing support officers in Houston, Texas, worked through the night to secure another aircraft for Pathfinder support the next day.

Both Stargardt and Hunte said the unique ferry flight mission is one of the most important roles any Air Force weather officer could ever play.

"It is great knowing that your job and your abilities make the difference in bringing a space shuttle home safely," Hunte said.

"Before I came here [to Patrick] one of the things on my 'Life's To Do List' was to see a shuttle launch," explained Stargardt. "Now I'm part of it all. I'm a kid living in a dream!"

Links

If you wish to keep track of how the weather unfolds in upcoming months, you are invited to visit the State Climate web site (http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim). For precipitation totals you can surf through this site to view state long term averages and totals for individual months and years (http://climate.rutgers.edu/data/index.html) , county estimates for a variety of intervals (http://marfchp1.met.psu.edu/Maps) , long term monthly averages for selected stations (http://climate.rutgers.edu/norms/precip.html), totals for weekly and longer intervals at selected stations (http://climate.rutgers.edu/njclimatewatch.html), and station observations as frequently as every hour (http://climate.rutgers.edu/njwxnet).

Sussex County: http://www.sussexcountyweather.com

Remember to send those reports in electronic form to: nick@sussexcountyinfo.com

The WEATHER SHELTER

High Point Weather Cam Activated

If you like snow (don't we all?) The High Point Weather Cam has been activated. Although not at the highest elevation in the park, it certainly is an interesting location because of the changes in weather, especially during the winter. The elevation you would be observing is: 1,520 feet. When the map is pulled up, click on the upper most weather icon. Please visit.

http://www.sussexcountyinfo.com/traffic/mapcam.htm