As a retired Air Force weather forecaster, I was not aware that Air Force wind sensors were "notoriously unreliable". They're the same type used by the FAA at all of the major airports. Admittedly, they are not optimized for light winds and some of them will not register anything less than about 3 knots, but they usually do fairly well in the 30-60 knot range.

However, I have been retired for almost 20 years and maybe too many things have changed. One thing that I known has changed is that the weather detachments no longer have their own weather equipment maintenance troops. Someone made the decision that the Comm maintenance troops could do the job just as well. Perhaps that isn't true.

However, I'm still a weather geek. And I do understand all of the pretty pictures. I'm a staff climatologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California at San Diego). If anyone has any questions, I can try to answer them.

My specialty is not tropical weather, but I do speak the language.

"Coelum ad Proelium Elige"
("Choose the Weather for Battle")

Larry

The Air Force got rid of their FAA type anemometers a few years back and replaced them with "hot wire" anemometers - devices designed to measure airflow in pipes and ductwork that fail miserably in open air - and especially in high wind situations. Note that all the Air Force observations will carry the warning that winds are estimated. Google hot wire anemometers for more info.

"Any idea what you're looking at? If so, you have knowledge shared by a truly small handfull of people on this planet - and no one cares. If not, don't fret - you are still fully qualified for a career as a television meteorologist."

I wouldn't say a "truly small handfull" of people. That image likely was of a Base Velocity product from a WSR-88D. All Air Force weather personnel (along with Navy & Marine Corps) are required to be trained on interpreting such products. Suffice to say that most folks in the National Weather Service would know what they were looking at, as well.

Okay, as a percentage of the population it probably is a handfull. :-)

As for the wind sensors, you're right. However, an upgrade program is in progress that will replace the fine-for-indoors hot wires with something a bit more outdoorsy. Soon after that, Air Force weather sensors will be upgraded to the OS-21 standard, with new, reliable wind sensors and automated observing capability (not that I agree with taking the human out of weather observing).

Haven't done my own analysis of the hurricane landfall info (been dealing with severe weather up here in North Dakota), but there very well may have been an admittedly narrow band of 120 kt winds in the eyewall.

From a current Air Force weather geek in North Dakota who's dealt with tropical weather in the Carolinas and Japan. :-)

Larry, the METNAV troops still do a good job, they're just saddled with equipment built by the lowest bidder. Oh, and you should've been around for Air Force Weather reengineering. ;-)