MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Az. -- Some might think that tracking the weather in the Yuma area is an easy job. After all, it’s usually hot and sunny, but there is more that must be taken into account when the accuracy of your report affects the safety of Marines both on the ground and flying overhead.
The Marines at station weather services must do just that.
Station weather services have a job that consists mainly of two parts: forecasting the weather and informing people of the weather, and risks involved.
The majority of Marines are affected by the physical training flag conditions, that is the flag that dictates how long and under what conditions Marines can PT safely.
The flag system operates off of a four levels system designed to make sure troops do not fall victim to heat casualties such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
The lowest flag is a green flag, which indicates that heavy physical exercise can be conducted with caution. This means PT is mostly unrestricted, unless someone starts to show signs of heat exhaustion or stroke. The next level is a yellow flag, which suspends strenuous activities for un-acclimated troops, or troops that have spent less than two or three weeks in the climate. A red flag is the third flag, which completely halts physical training for un-acclimated troops and limits PT for acclimated individuals to six hours a day, while the highest level, a black flag, prohibits all strenuous physical activity.
Temperatures are checked every hour on the hour in order to calculate flag conditions, which rely on more than just the ambient air temperature.
Three different numbers factor in to the flag conditions that take into account the humidity, ambient air temperature, and the temperature of an object that absorbs the maximum heat possible from the sun, which is why the temperature can reach over 100 degrees and the station still won’t be under black flag conditions, said Sgt. Christopher Holt, weather forecaster and native of Virginia Beach, Va.
The forecasters and observers at the weather station also track clouds and winds that affect pilots taking off from the station, and brief them before every flight, and track ocean currents and tides that affect amphibious landings.
The information for flights that stay in the area is pulled from a report weather services puts on the station commander’s channel, which is kept up to date and accurate, said Capt. Chris L. Nicholson, an AV-8B Harrier jet pilot from Conyers, Ga.
The pilots also need detailed information about their route and destination when performing longer flights to another location, such as a flight to Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., or Iraq.
The forecasting for Yuma is different than forecasting for other areas because of what the topography, specificaly what the Marines at weather services call the “Yuma bubble,” which is created by the mountains to the north, east and west, said Christopher.
This can keep weather from coming in from any direction other than the south or keep it from leaving as well, creating high-speed winds that are difficult to predict, said Christopher.
The weather station currently has 19 Marines deployed with Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 in Iraq, which has caused a disruption in their normal schedule.
Where the weather services would normally have a forecaster and observers on duty 24 hours a day, they have had to limit the forecasters to working only when briefings are required for pilots.
Even with this shortage, the station weather services works toward mission accomplishment, no matter what it takes, in order to keep the Marines, sailors and civilians of Marine Corps Air Station safe, because they know how important it is to know not only what the weather is like now, but what the future holds.