It's beginning to look like 2000 all over again, and we've certainly seen enough cut-off lows for one season already!. However, between weather fronts, we are planning a research flight on Monday June 2, the objectives of which will be to:
1. Evaluate MM5 forecasts produced here at METO/UMCP
2. Evaluate upper-air wind data from the MDE profiler/RASS at Fort Meade, MD
3. Evaluate upper-air profile data from (i) a NASA micropulse lidar and CIMEL sun photometer both deployed at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) at Edgewater, MD, and (ii) sun photometer measurements from a SERC research vessel conducting transects over the Chesapeake Bay southeast of Annapolis, MD

If the wet weather breaks on Monday as expected, the flight plan will be as follows (times are EDT, and estimates):
1245 Take off from College Park, MD (CGS)
1300-1330 Perform a 300 ft/min spiral to 7.5 Kft over Fort Meade, MD (FME)
1345-1415 Perform a 300 ft/min spiral from 7.5 Kft over Lee Airport (ANP) near Annapolis, MD
1430-1500 Perform a 300 ft/min spiral to 7.5 Kft over over the northern reach of the Chesapeake Bay southeast of Annapolis (Jetta airway intersection)
1530 Land at CGS
with spiral locations detailed in the research flight summary for 2001.

Check back for a preliminary flight summary after the flight.

Doddridge