One stop weather shop

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Whether you fly a plane, test a weapon, or watch over those who work or play outside, when severe weather threatens, the experts at the 46th Weather Squadron ensure accurate observations, forecasts and notifications are made to support the mission and protect Eglin's most valuable asset - people.

The squadron is comprised of a highly technical trained team composed of military, civilian and contractors. Major Ed Harris, 46 Weather Squadron Operations Officer, proudly highlighted the team's performance that was recently recognized as "Outstanding" on the February 2008 Air Force Material Command Standardization and Evaluation inspection. Every category was identified as "Outstanding" and the squadron received the highest rating in AFMC weather history.

The squadron provides weather information and resource protection, 24 hours a day, seven days a week that impacts every unit on Eglin Air Force Base, the largest Air Force Base in the Department of Defense. Using the latest technologies from Doppler Radar, satellites, automated sensors and their Improved Weather Dissemination System, or IWDS, the squadron makes certain the most current weather gets to those who require the information, as defined in the Weather Support Agreement, or Eglin Air Force Base Plan 15-1.

An equally important role the squadron fills is educating the base populous as to what the weather threat means and what portion of Eglin is affected.

"Having a base that covers portions of three counties offers unique challenges," Major Harris said.

To provide the best possible support, the range was divided into four main areas: Eglin Main, Eglin East, Eglin West and Duke Field, to more accurately communicate the location of a threat.

"We've used Highway 85 north from Niceville to Crestview as the delineation between the east and west ranges," Major Harris continued. "This delineation prevents a weather threat such as a tornado watch or tornado warning from being misunderstood."

A tornado watch is used when the risk of tornadic activity has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain. The watch is used to provide enough lead time so that those who need to set their plans in motion can do so. A tornado warning is issued when tornadic activity has been observed or indicated by radar and poses a threat to life or property.

"If we identify tornadic activity on radar that will not impact Eglin Air Force Base, we won't issue a warning," the major said. "Rest assured, we're extremely vigilant when it comes to severe weather."

Being so close to the gulf, the focus usually is on hurricanes; however, tornadoes are fairly common in Florida. The main difference between what's seen on television and in movies is tornadoes generally tend to be less intense in Florida.

"The dynamics behind the storms are usually 'weaker' than those in the Great Plains. Although tornadoes are most prevalent in early spring, they can occur when the jet stream, or stronger upper level winds, moves further south and the gulf remains relatively warm," Major Harris said.

When tornadoes or any other severe weather occurs, the 46th Weather Squadron uses IWDS (a software product) as the primary means of disseminating all sorts of weather information to include weather watches and warnings throughout the Eglin community. Major Harris stressed the importance of commanders and supervisors who lead a large number of personnel who work outdoors to getting IWDS on their computers by sending an email requesting IWDS to iwds@eglin.af.mil.

"IWDS requires no special equipment, runs on a desktop computer connected to the base network and is continually improved based on feedback from our numerous customers," Major Harris said. "It's designed to be an all-inclusive dissemination system and provides near-instantaneous notification to clients whenever inclement weather occurs.

The more aware a person is of the weather the better the decision will be made. As with any outside operation, weather plays a vital role in Operational Risk Management. Decision makers at all levels can access weather information through IWDS to help them make more informed decisions, especially with threatening weather, and a unique feature of IWDS is its audible and visual notification. Through time, there have been hundreds of users, from the Commander's Support Staff to the flying community.

Another source of Eglin weather information is the 46 Weather Squadron's Community of Practice located at https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/46ws