BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --
It’s possible that for many, the predictions of weather
forecasters are taken lightly; viewed as information to be considered, but
easily written off with scarce consequences. On an average day, the most
critical information conveyed by a forecast might be whether it’s advisable to
carry an umbrella or not. Here, the counsel of weather forecasters has the
power to ground planes.
Entrusted with the responsibility of keeping tabs on Mother
Nature, Airmen assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron’s
weather flight provide up-to-the-minute recommendations to the pilots who make
American airpower one of the most effective deterrents to terrorism.
“We have an airfield side and a mission side here,” said
Tech. Sgt. Timothy Lawson, 455 EOSS weather flight chief. “On the airfield side
we take care of watch, warnings and advisories to ensure base resources are
protected, and we issue forecasts which are used by commanders in
decision-making.”
“On the mission side we go and brief the fighter and helicopter
pilots themselves, making sure they have good information when they’re
preparing for a mission,” Lawson continued. “We brief them on what conditions
they can expect and whether they are going to have workable airspace to
accomplish objectives. We provide these briefings multiple times a day, prior
to every launch.”
Bagram’s geographical location provides unique trials for
Lawson and fellow forecasters in the form of difficult-to-predict winds and an
almost perpetual layer of haze.
“There are a lot of challenges due to the fact that the
airfield is located in a kind of geographical bowl,” Lawson said. “As the
different mountain faces heat up, the winds change and go different directions
at different speeds. They vary many times throughout the day going up and down
the mountain slopes. Another challenge we face is caused by the burning that
goes on locally outside the base. The smoke and haze gets trapped in the bowl
which creates visibility issues. However, based on wind flow, we can determine
when the haze is going to set in, and when it will dissipate.”
In addition to acting as the brains of the weather
operation, 455 EOSS Airmen also supply the brawn.
“We perform monthly maintenance on our equipment,” Lawson
said. “We have to make sure filters are clear of obstructions and swap them out
to ensure the radar is able to get good, cool air to keep it from overheating.
The radar provides us with weather signatures, so it helps us pick up on
precipitation before it hits the airfield.”
“We also maintain the meteorological equipment,” Lawson
continued. “Our Ceilometer is used to assess cloud height by shooting a laser beam
into the sky. It’s an extremely sensitive piece of equipment so we pour water
over it to ensure it’s free of dust and debris.”
Despite the preventative measures taken to ensure equipment
remains operational, the weather team has a failsafe to ensure operations are
not impeded should the unexpected occur.
“We know how to take the readings manually,” Lawson said. “So if
the equipment was to break or fail, it would not cause a halt in the mission.
We’re an essential asset to the flying squadrons and we’ll be here until the
last plane leaves. Supporting the fighter mission and making sure they’re able
to provide close air support and other vital functions is probably our biggest
win as weather forecasters.”