Hurricane Research Division Flight Status

[wxman57]

I got the following HRD flight status message from Dr. Chris Landsea this afternoon. I subscribed to their daily messages. Basically, it's an e-mail group for those who study hurrianes. It includes not only research people but most of the NHC forecasters. Note the last paragraph about the MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation) that is now heading east toward the eastern Pacific and eventually the Atlantic Basin:

"Today is the first day of updates concerning HRD flight status and tropical
weather systems. No HRD flight operations are planned for the next 24 hours. 42RF successfully completed a functional test flight today. Removal of the tail radome is underway. Repairs are expected to be completed by 11-12 August, next Mon or Tue. An AOC calibration flight for 43RF is planned for Thurs, 7 August. CBLAST instrument calibration flights are tentatively being planned for mid-week next week.

SYNOPTIC SITUATION
A tropical wave is approaching the Leeward Islands at about 60W this
afternoon. A small, weak low level circulation appeared evident this morning in low cloud motions and as a wind shift at the French buoy east of Martinique. Some low cloud banding is evident with a cluster of weakening convection over the wave axis. The mid and upper level evironment around the system is dry and the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) boundary is just east and north of the system.

The wave, or its remnants, should pass over or just north of Hispaniola on
Friday morning and reach the central Bahamas or eastern Cuba by Sunday
morning. Another weak wave is apparent at 20W and two other tropcial squall lines are evident over West Africa. No other tropcial Atlantic systems are evident and the tropics in general are quiet.

The active phase of the MJO appears to be exiting the Western Pacific this week and likely will propagate to the Atlantic Basin in about two weeks. Typically, some enhancement of tropical activity for a 2-3 week period is associated with the MJO active phase, especially as we approach the climatologically active part of the hurricane season late in August- a season forecast to be active by CSU and NOAA scientists."

[ameriwx2003]

Wxman, thanks for sharing that, I was wondering when the MJO might move to the the Atlantic as I haven't heard to much about it this year:):)