In War, Weather Forecasts a Matter of Life and Death

S U M T E R,  S.C., March 23 -- The calls come in hourly, sometimes every few minutes: What are the wind speeds in Basra? Is heavy cloud cover expected over Najaf? Will another sandstorm kick up soon in southern Iraq?

In this war, those are critical questions. Weather can affect a go/no-go decision for fighter jets and helicopters, or can change how quickly and safely ground troops can advance. No one on the front lines wants any weather surprises because, in battle, those surprises can prove fatal.

So military forecasters are on round-the-clock duty, gathering data from battlefields, from satellites and radar, and from fighter pilots themselves flying over Iraq. It is constant, tense, essential weather analysis.

And it's all being done in South Carolina.

"Frankly, you can do this from anywhere," says Lt. Col Tom Frooninckx, who heads Operation Iraqi Freedom's weather command center in this quintessential southern town about as far from conditions on the Iraqi battlefields as one can imagine. "With the sophisticated communications technology that we have at our disposal, it's no different than if I was 100 miles away from Baghdad or 8,000 miles away."

A Perfect Forecast for Fellow Airmen

Frooninckx (it rhymes with phonics, he patiently explains) commands the 28th Operational Weather Squadron for the U.S. Air Force, headquartered at Sumter's Shaw Air Force Base. The Pentagon assigned the task of forecasting this war's weather to the 28th — and a short tour of their weather command center here makes it clear how closely they feel linked to their fellow airmen at war.

"Every day decisions are being made overseas — based on our weather forecast," says Frooninckx.

A mistake in these forecasts is unacceptable, explains Airman Forecaster Trad Leavitt. "I like to be perfect," he says fervently. It is not a boast, but a pledge. Perfection is rarely a stated goal for a forecaster — most settle for a good average. But Leavitt has friends, fellow airmen serving on the front lines. "I like to be perfect for them. … "I don't want to let them down."