Weather Bureau topics and personnel / United ... - Index of - NOAA

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the wenther worvice to fill tlie basic need for operatioiiiil weather information. This
has been done. and today the Army Air Forces Weather Service has units in every
theater and along the air roiitos linking them to the United States. Porsoiinel
working on tho Air Weather Service liits increased 0,oOO percent. The task of tlie
Army Air Forces Weather Service includos the supply of infonnntioii to our Air,
Ground, iind Serviw Forces, nnd close coopcrcition with other w~ther agencies
Wrving tlic United Stntos and our allios.
This world-wide service, mnnnod by throughly trained personnel, still did not
completely fill our needs. Special climatic studies, busad on l~istoricui records,
perrriittod the selection by comparison of tlie best nnd worst periods of the yeiir for
a pnrticnlilr inilitiiry oporntion. After selection of the proper sonson, it \viis necesmry
to wiiit until writhin 24 to 48 hours of ctD” diiy before nctnally dotormining the
Weather pownibility of a successful mission. Tho giip existing betwaon clinintic studies
iind short-range wouther predictions liad to bo filled. Our only nnswer WIIB in
long-rnnge forecasting-n doturniinntioii of future wontlier wall in cidvtinco.
Insietunce on n solution to tho problorn of rrrakiiig long-ningo forecasts nt first
met connidornblc oppoHition both inside and outaide of tho Ariny Air 1’ ‘orces.
Tlirouyh tho concerted dforts of niiiiiy of tlie country’s ontstiinding niotoorologists,
both within and without the nrmed forms, in co-ordinution witli ow iillios-and
Wilixing those dotuiln wliicli we know of the Uerninn long-rimgo fowcnsting, deflnite
stops forward hnve been tnkuii. This extonsivc rcsciircli procediire line mnde poseiblc
1ong-rntie;o wonther foremnh of 4R hours-10 days-itnd 30 day8 with sufficient nc-
Ctirncy to poriiiit of rniikinp piepiiiatory plnne for futuro operiitjons.
We now hnve it wall integrntd wontlior service thut siipporta our operirtions nll
Over tlie world. Woiither dntn liii~ been conipilrd, iind is being iiugmcnted for the
coiitincntnl inviisionw of Europe.
Woatlier stations linvc been set up in count lo^^ i~oltit~l npota.
For in8tiinw, nt tho boginning of flight oporntions over the North Atlnntic, it
Was iyiparcwt that a weiitlier inporting station WUR nredod 011 tho uninhnbited southknow
that jugged rocky niiistw rose up to nine
ern tip of Grc1enlnnd. Forocnstor~
thonsimd foot from tlie icu-ntrcwn Heit to stuff cloiid~ in the pcitli of planos Rying to
hlnnil. Tlioy know tliiit icing comiitionn ofton exton(1cd to hip11 nltitudcs o~or
the ico ciip, to provent pliinos fi*oru fiying ovor tho top,* It was ementiiil to know
the cxnct lioiglit of tho cloud coiling nnd tlie wonther conditions that previiiled below.
I~lJrec[iHtarH ulno nccdatt inforitintion froin thiR incubntor of North Atlantic
%oriris to predict woiithor coilditions for trniis-Atliiritic lliplita nnd convoys.
llocoiinriisnliiico HiglitH diw~lo~ed thnt tho only possiblo nit0 wiis n niirrow lodge
in itn ico-jiiiiimotl fjoitl only ronr Iiundrcd fcrt wido, nt ~’rincu CIiristiun Sonnd.
SYH-
hir Ariny Air Forcon wontlier nwi niitl four Arniy Airwiiys ( ~oiii~i~~~~~i~~~t
toin tneii \wrp choson for tho ptntioii. ~ i iiiirn r iit tho Btntion nra idi1tt4 excopL
for radio coiiliict, for trii niontIiH of tlw yiw. tlllioy Ii\w in nturdy bIliI(Iiliw, cnbIed
to tho rocIcH, to withstiuid tho liigli WiIidH which hnvo booti rucordod tit tinics from
?o to 175 niiloH por hour. Thring tlin 1042 -It145 swnon thm) i~nnt~~o~ii~tum nntl two
1Wmniont ShOhIY WC~P bltzwn n\r~y. When it dido dninrigcd the buildinm new
~$ericils wore flown in by ti B-25 niodiuiii boinbor. Tho pltirio nirtdo ii 1iiUtirdous
“bomb run” rip the nnrrciw fjord, drol’pd n tightly wired bund111 of lunibor to tliu
nlen, uiid clinibcd ~ltuop1y tip tho fiico of u niountuin to got out of the tFi1p. 1)uring
tho wintor, tlio iriun aided in tlio roecue of 11 crew of 11 p1ii110 wliicli hiid crtis~~e(l on
ulu ice cap. Tho stiition pickod up the feeblo radio iiieMnges froill tho wiockod
Plane and piiiiIod mcuei-s to it.
Tho wenthor reports ridlood by tlie Stnff at Prinoo Cliristiaii Bound habe
hen nn extremoly importiint link in n vast notwork of Army Air Fom roporting
Htutione for aiding a11 North Atlantic plano, convoy, ulid tmti-eubmiirine ,
OPorntione.