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Weather
Forecasting Keeps The Mission's Future Clear
by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Lane Plummer April 12, 2018 Have you ever walked into a dark room without a light? Would you travel somewhere new without any directions? There are many activities we can’t go into blindly, so when Cannon pilots prepare for flight, they need the help of 27th Special Operations Support Squadron weather forecasters to ensure their future is on the radar. One of those Airmen who unlock the weather-related puzzle surrounding Cannon is Staff Sgt. Joseph Klein, 27th SOSS weather craftsman. “Here, we provide forecasts for the local area, as well as [other parts of] New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Texas,” Klein said. “We also do resource protection, that way if any bad weather is inbound on our location, we can alert units around base to ensure equipment doesn’t get damaged.” Weather forecasters on base work alongside pilots, utilizing the latest technology to predict weather patterns, prepare forecasts and communicate weather information to these pilots so that every mission can be carried out. “It helps that we work so close with aircraft crews,” Klein said. “[In my previous bases], we didn’t get too much face time with them. Here at Cannon, we’re interacting with each other much more and that’s convenient for the pilots. We can provide verbal briefings quickly for the aircrews.” This constant communication is necessary in an environment as unique as eastern New Mexico, where dangerous weather conditions can pop up quickly, according to Klein.  -------------------------------------------------------------- “Fire weather is a particular danger in the local area,” he explained. “We have to remain cautious and vigilant on live fire exercises at Melrose Air Force Range due to how dry the weather can be.” Rapid fires are a danger throughout the state. According to the New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department, in 2016, approximately 118,000 acres were burned by wildfires, higher than the national average of 108,000 that year. A cause for this can also be explained by a collision of weather fronts that presents a challenge to all weather forecasters across the state, especially Cannon’s, according to Klein. “We’re on what we call a dry line,” he said. “It’s a unique feature to this part of the world. We get the front from the Gulf Coast pushing moisture west and the southwest front pushing dry air east, and where the two constantly collide is within the vicinity of Cannon. It’s a danger to our pilots we need to always be on the lookout for around late Spring and early Summer, especially.” This combination of a high-pace mission and high-risk weather presents a challenge to weather forecasters like Klein, but it doesn’t come without its likable aspects, he said. “The job is something different for me. Everyone thinks weather is entirely unpredictable, but we know how to find those subtle clues in forecasting. I like the challenge of that. It’s sort of a puzzle to me.” U.S. Air Force | Air National Guard | U.S. Air Force Gifts | U.S. Department of Defense |
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