IMPACTS 2022: NASA Planes Fly into Snowstorms to Study Snowfall
- Produced by:
- Kathleen Gaeta and
- Kathryn Mersmann
- View full credits
NASA’s Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Storms (IMPACTS) mission, which began in January and is planned to wrap up at the end of February, has seen upwards of 10 flights so far. Ultimately, what the IMPACTS team learns about snowstorms will improve meteorological models and our ability to use satellite data to predict how much snow will fall and where.
Music credit: “Struggles” and “Natural Time Cycles” from Universal Production Music
Complete transcript available.
NASA’s Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Storms (IMPACTS) mission, which began in January and is planned to wrap up at the end of February, has seen upwards of 10 flights so far. The planes, a P-3 aircraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and a high-flying ER-2 jet out of the Pope Army Airfield near Fayetteville, North Carolina, are chasing down snowstorms. Scientists are looking to better understand snowstorms, particularly how narrow structures called snow bands form, why some storms don’t have snow bands, and how snow bands can be used to predict snowfall. The data collected from the instruments on board the aircrafts will help the team relate properties of the snow particles and their environment to large-scale processes – such as the structure of clouds and precipitation patterns. Ultimately, what the IMPACTS team learns about snowstorms will improve meteorological models and our ability to use satellite data to predict how much snow will fall and where.
On February 3rd, NASA’s P-3 took off at 8:00 am from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. With ground operations coordinating its route with the ER-2, the IMPACTS team flew straight into a snowstorm, taking three passes at different elevations— 20,000 ft, 13,000 ft, and 11,000 ft. Both the ground team and the in-flight team kept a close eye on the weather forecast to ensure the best flight path for the aircraft and the instruments on board.
On February 3rd, NASA’s P-3 took off at 8:00 am from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. With ground operations coordinating its route with the ER-2, the IMPACTS team flew straight into a snowstorm, taking three passes at different elevations— 20,000 ft, 13,000 ft, and 11,000 ft. Both the ground team and the in-flight team kept a close eye on the weather forecast to ensure the best flight path for the aircraft and the instruments on board.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producers
- Kathleen Gaeta (AIMM) [Lead]
- Kathryn Mersmann (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET)
Series
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