'In the heat, or cold of snow': Weather forecasters support Fort Drum community

  • Published
  • By Melody Everly
  • Fort Drum Public Affairs
FORT DRUM, N.Y. --  Throughout history, many different elements have contributed to the success or failure of military operations. The size and ability level of the army, the caliber of training and the quality of resources and technology all play an integral part in determining the outcome of the mission. One often overlooked factor that can be a vital part of mission completion is weather.

It was thick fog that allowed George Washington and his all-volunteer Army to retreat unseen by the well-equipped British troops at the Battle of Long Island on Aug. 22, 1776.

During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces established the Army Air Force Weather Services, whose forecasts were key to the success of numerous wartime missions. It was their in-depth terrain studies that ensured ski troopers were outfitted with the cold-weather gear they needed to survive in the mountains of Italy.

When the U.S. Army Air Forces split into the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force after World War II, it was decided that the Air Force would provide weather services for both branches, fulfilling the mission of enhancing combat capability by providing timely, accurate and reliable weather products.

Air Force Capt. Griffin Casey, commander of Detachment 1, 18th Weather Squadron at Fort Drum, said that while not everyone may be aware of the variety of support roles that the detachment provides, their mission is of vital importance - both in-country and downrange.

"A lot of times people call us 'weather folks,' but what we really provide is full-spectrum environmental support literally from mud to sun," he said. "All the way from the solar forecast and how that's going to affect communications to precipitable water forecast and how that's going to affect light-infantrymen walking through the woods and much more."

Detachment 1 - which consists of two weather officers, 37 enlisted personnel, two Department of the Air Force Civilians and two Reservist augmentees - is responsible for gathering data and forecasting and reporting weather and environmental conditions for Fort Drum.

This information directly impacts everything from the readiness of Soldiers to the safety of all of those living and working on post. "First and foremost, we are responsible for force protection and resource protection for Fort Drum," Casey said. "We prepare weekly weather reports for the daily commanding general (briefings). Day to day, we also provide any kind of weather (briefings) that are needed."

To provide the most accurate weather information, many different environmental factors must be measured and tracked.

Temperature, amount and type of precipitation, cloud cover, wind direction and speed and weather fronts are just a few of these factors.

Collecting this data requires the use of a variety of tools and technologies from manual calculations to automated systems. The detachment's two Department of Air Force Civilians, Guy Manor and Todd Shippee, are responsible for the largest piece of these automated systems.

"Our biggest single item is the dual-pole Doppler radar, which is located in Montague," Manor said.

The Montague radar, which is owned by the Department of Defense and controlled by the National Weather Service out of Burlington, Vermont, lies within the forecast area of the NWS's Buffalo location. Manor and Shippee are responsible for monitoring and repairing the Doppler.

"The Doppler radar is running 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and 365-days-a-year," said Shippee. "It not only supports the mission here at Fort Drum, it supports the surrounding area as well."

"Everyone from the news outlets to highway superintendents watch to see what is coming down from the Doppler," Manor added.

This information is paired with data coming in from radars spread across the country to track weather fronts moving into the area. When inclement weather is on the way, especially in the winter, the detachment is responsible for communicating this quickly, Casey said.

"We are a big part of the call as to whether Fort Drum is going to have delayed reporting, early release or closures," he said. "The biggest thing is to not only do our forecasting job well, but to communicate well with those involved in the decision-making process."

Information released to these officials includes expected precipitation type and amount and wind direction and velocity, among other things. This information is vital to many post entities such as the Directorate of Public Works, whose staff is responsible for clearing roads, to safety officials, who perform risk management assessments.

Casey emphasized that tracking the weather carefully is equally important during the remainder of the year.

"Range Control receives our forecast," he said. "They coordinate with units that are going into the field or training areas based upon the information they receive."

Units can contact the detachment for more detailed information, he said.

"If platoon leaders want to run a lane, they can call us and ask us 'will it be muddy? We have to cross this stream - is it going to be dry or not? How deep is the snow going to be - will we need snowshoes? Is it slick?'" Casey said.

Another area where weather makes a large impact is aviation. Tech. Sgt. Alicia Sparks, Aviation Operations Section chief, said that gathering information such as cloud ceiling, visibility, wind velocity, turbulence or icing and communicating this information to commanders, flight leads and pilots is an important role of her and her team at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.

"We give the information to them," she said. "They know when the weather conditions are crossing the threshold for their aircraft. Sometimes we also tell them that if they go a little earlier or a little later they may be able to complete their mission."

If weather conditions change rapidly, Sparks and her team can contact pilots and let them know how long they have to return to the airfield.

"The most important and fulfilling part of our job is knowing that we are keeping the pilots safe," she said.

Although automated systems are used extensively in this section of weather reporting, manual calculations are also important.

Detachment members use portable devices to measure wind temperature, barometric pressure and humidity. A range-finder can be used to determine visibility and cloud height.

Devices such as these are an asset to the detachment because they can be beneficial in situations where the use of large, truck-mounted equipment is not feasible, such as deployments.

In a deployed setting, the roles of detachment members are slightly different, but just as important.

Tech. Sgt. Ken Ruby, noncommissioned officer in charge of weapons and tactics for Detachment 1 and a former Security Forces airman, is preparing for an upcoming deployment - his first with Air Force weather.

"Although this will be my first deployment with weather, I have been trying to learn as much as I can about what I will be doing downrange," he said. "I know that one of the big things we will be doing is forecasting sandstorms, so I have been learning as much about that as possible."

Ruby said that working in weather has given him a greater appreciation for all that the weather forecasters had done to keep him and members of his unit safe during his previous deployments.

"Looking back, I realize that sometimes when we were operating in bad weather we were actually safer," he said. "The enemy didn't want to attack in bad weather, so we had an advantage."

Casey added that another essential forecasting function during deployments is to determine the snowpack - the amount of snow at high elevations - and its water equivalent. These calculations can help forecasters estimate the amount of run-off that will occur when the snow melts - an important piece of information the impact of which many might not realize, he said.

"We do a lot of river forecasting, and that's all based on snowpack," he said. "It helps us determine the best time and safest place to cross."

Safety, both at home station and during deployments, is always at the forefront of the minds of those within the weather detachment, Casey said.

"We have dedicated professionals here who work really hard and care about doing the very best job they can do," he said. "It's not just about getting the weather right - it's about communicating it effectively and seeing the results of our forecasting."