Combat Forecasters: Predicting Weather in the Most Hostile Places on Earth

By: Sean Breslin

Published: August 26,2013

 

 

 

 

All meteorologists understand the difficulty of delivering an accurate weather forecast, but there are only a handful on the planet who do it while under enemy fire.
They're known as Special Operations Weather Team Airmen (SOWT), an elite Air Force unit of meteorologists. Each member has to pass the physical tests of other servicemen and women while earning the equivalent of an undergraduate meteorology degree in eight months, not the usual four years.
These experts blend in with the rest of their units and they assist all branches of the military. Because they're often joining a group that has been together for months or years, they're the newcomers with something to prove.
So they'd better nail that first forecast to earn the trust of their unit.

Preparing for Combat

Staff Sgt. Travis Sanford was raised in tornado-prone Missouri and had a basic weather knowledge, but he said becoming a meteorologist in less than a year was challenging and that only the highly intellectual survive.
"They give you a 'fire hose' of weather knowledge," said Sanford, who has served two tours in Afghanistan.

“They could all work at a Global Forecast Center at The Weather Channel in a heartbeat.”

Mike Bettes, The Weather Channel meteorologist

Sanford visited The Weather Channel last week, along with Capt. Jonathan Sawtelle, a fellow SOWT airman.
The training is intense and only a fraction of those who embark on the process are deemed fit for combat in this group. They're part of an all-male unit, but according to Sanford, steps are being taken to introduce women into the group.
While meteorology classes only require eight months, Sanford said it takes years of additional conditioning before a soldier is prepared for the battlefield. Weather classes are sandwiched between personal training, and there is no room for error in either for those who want to become "Special Ops."
Because they're embedded with units that rely on their weather knowledge and skills in combat, they must be prepared to do both when sent into battle.
Mike Bettes, meteorologist at The Weather Channel, trained with the forces a few weeks ago.
"It was really intense," said Bettes. "These guys dot all their I's and cross all their T's. It's safety first, and they make sure every member of their unit is taken care of.
"They could all work at a Global Forecast Center at The Weather Channel in a heartbeat."
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Forecasting in Afghanistan

American troops overseas are at a disadvantage in one regard: They're fighting on unfamiliar territory. The enemy knows the land well, but U.S. forces use weather observations regain the upper hand.
When a SOWT airman takes weather observations under the cover of night, he's expected to even that playing field. Knowing when snowfall will occur in the winter and identifying avalanche danger in the spring are crucial for giving the commanding officer a "go" or "no-go" on a mission, said Sanford.
Subtle nuances can give a unit an advantage: If an airman sees conditions that might lead to a fresh layer of dew, it could allow troops to execute a nighttime mission. Where footprints are normally left behind, the dew could fall and erase those footprints, removing any sign of an army's presence, said Sawtelle.
At times, a forecast of low cloud cover means air assistance won't be available during a mission, Sawtelle said, and when humanitarian aid is necessary, troops may use the forecasts to warn villages about weather-related dangers, like avalanches or flooding.
Before battle, there's a life-threatening aspect of forecasting. If an airman is seen by the enemy while collecting weather data, he could be fired upon, as Sanford and Sawtelle have experienced in the field. Thus, the SOWT airmen are armed and have only one option if they're met with gunfire.
"You shoot back," said Sawtelle.

A Life-Changing Decision

When Sanford is part of a mission, he says getting shot isn't something that can run through his mind. The job is simply too demanding, and thinking about dying is too consuming during those important moments, he said.
Days into his first deployment, Sanford used skills he learned outside the weather classroom to keep a fellow soldier alive.
In March 2010, his team was on a routine patrol in a village when they were ambushed by enemy forces. A soldier in Sanford's unit was shot in the head. Troops were immediately needed to help keep the man alive.
"We had to do emergency procedures, so as we're doing that, I'm holding his wound with gauze on top of his head," said Sanford. "During all that, I'm telling the team leader, 'Hey, we're good to go with the (medical evacuation). Visibilities are good, ceiling's good.'"
Thanks to the bravery and weather knowledge exhibited by Sanford in those stressful moments, the injured soldier survived long enough to be flown home to friends and family. He died seven days later.
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Sanford was awarded the Bronze Medal with Valor for his heroism in the event, which was just his second mission.
Though it was far from a routine day, Sanford's rescue was an example of what to expect from the bravest meteorologists in the world.

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