Weather Warrior

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - U.S. Air Force Senior Airmen Jarod Bjork, from Orlando, Fla., mans his battle-station at the Combined Joint Task Force-82’s joint operations command center, Jan10. Bjork uses advanced equipment to monitor the weather and give recommendations that are used by the war-fighters on the ground to plan and execute missions. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. B. Todd Willis, Combined Joint Task Force-82 Public Affairs)

Operation Turbulent Climb

CAMP RED CLOUD, Republic of Korea -- (From left to right) Detachment 1, 607th Weather Squadron members Senior Airman Zach Scott, Master Sgt. Geoffrey Mason and Staff Sgt. Billy Harris make their way up the hill near Camp Red Cloud during Operation Turbulent Climb. The team members ascended over 1,000 feet while carrying 65 pounds of gear and covering nearly five miles in distance. (Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Shane Gillies)

Weather or Not

U.S. Navy Aerographers Mate, Petty Officer 2nd Class Susana Awan discuses collected weather information with U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Yong Kim in order to relay a weather hazard to pilots in flight on Dec 3, 2009. Awan and Kim work together at the 21st Weather Squadron, Sembach Annex, Germany. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Rich)

How's the air up there?

ILOPANGO, El Salvador – Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bill Bayer, a weather meteorologist assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo, performs early morning weather checks measuring winds, temperature, dew point and pressure with a handheld Kestrel Nov. 14. Sergeant Bayer has been a vital piece to providing daily weather reports for the 1st Battalion, 228th Regiment during a deployment to El Salvador in order to help them stabilize the region from a recent mudslide. Since Nov. 11 JTF-Bravo has distributed more than 172,700 pounds of supplies (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson).

Keeping an eye on the sky...

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Tech. Sgt. Richard Stage, 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron weather forecaster, checks the wet bulb globe temperature reading on a hs-32 area heat stress monitor at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Sept. 15, 2009. Sergeant Stage is deployed from the 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., and hails from Elmira, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tony Tolley)

Weather or not to fly

Tech. Sgt. John Moore, 4th Operations Support Squadron weather technician, briefs Maj. William Lulay, 4th Fighter Wing safety office, on weather conditions at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Sept 3, 2009. All weather personnel complete a nine-month training course at Keesler Air Force Base and travel to one of the eight weather hubs as a weather observer to receive on-the-job training before becoming a weather forecaster. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rae Perry)

Joint Operational Area Forecasters

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Tech. Sgt. Casey Grim, a reservist with the 5th Operational Weather Flight, and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jorge Castillo, an aerographer’s mate second class from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., both serve together at the 28th Operational Weather Squadron here as Joint Operational Area Forecasters. The combined 28th OWS team provides weather products for all branches of the U.S. military and our coalition partners in the U.S. Central Command's AOR, covering 20 countries spanning 5,000 square miles on two continents. (Photo by Ryan Hansen)

Special Ceremonies Team

From left to right, Staff Sgt. Nick Case, Capt. Alicia Hughes, Capt. Randy Haeberle and Staff Sgt. Andrew Porden of the 14th Weather Squadron’s Special Ceremonies Team present the colors at a Hope for Wounded Warriors event featuring former Kansas senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole. The SCT serves as both the color guard and honor guard for an area covering almost 20,000 square miles in the Western Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee.

Combat Weather Airman

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq ?Air Force Senior Airman Daniel Jamison, weather system support cadre technician, sets-up a tactical meteorological weather equipment here July 30, 2009. Airman Jamison is responsible for maintaining and repairing 30 of these systems throughout Iraq. The equipment, also known as TMQ-53, is used to obtain pressure, wind speed and direction, temperature, dew point, relative humidity, precipitation, surface visibility, cloud height and lightning detection. Airman Jamison is deployed from Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Fla., and is a native of Troy, Mich. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Johnny L. Saldivar/Released)

Combat Weather Airman

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq ? Air Force Tech. Sgt. Terry Hutton, weather system support cadre team lead, and Air Force Senior Airman Daniel Jamison, weather system support cadre technician, set-up a tactical meteorological weather equipment here July 30, 2009. Both Airmen are responsible for maintaining and repairing 30 of these systems throughout Iraq. The equipment, also known as TMQ-53, is used to obtain pressure, wind speed and direction, temperature, dew point, relative humidity, precipitation, surface visibility, cloud height and lightning detection. Sergeant Hutton is deployed from Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Fla., and is a native of Enid, Okla. Airman Jamison is also deployed from Hurlburt Field AFB and is a native of Troy, Mich. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Johnny L. Saldivar/Released)

Calm before the dust storm

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- Staff Sgt. Mark Casey, weather forecaster of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, conducts a maintenance check and weekly cleaning for a Tactical Meteorological Equipment-53 Sensor on the flight line here Aug. 10. The TMQ-53 Sensor's capabilities include the tracking of wind speeds, airfield pressure, visibility, precipitation and altimeter settings. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christopher Hubenthal)

Iraqi, U.S. Air Forces establish weather partnership

KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq -- Col. Salman, Iraq Air Force Weather Service director, goes over a training schedule for IqAF weather officers as Master Sgt. Lisa Gore, 506th Expeditionary Operational Support Squadron weather flight superintendent, and Maj. Barry Hunte, Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Forces' weather advisor, stand by. Recently a new partnership was established between the 506th EOSS weather flight and the IqAF weather team here that will improve the services they provide.