Issued: Sunday, September 3
Launch Weather Officer: Kathy Winters, 45th Weather Squadron
Synoptic Discussion: "Currently, a high pressure ridge is located over South Florida, a low pressure trough is located over North Florida, and a weak tropical wave is located over the Bahamas. Southwest flow is over East Central Florida, and with the afternoon sea breeze causing low level convergence in the area, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) will have another round of thunderstorm activity late this afternoon. Monday, the ridge to the south will migrate north into Central Florida, and the tropical wave will migrate west into South Florida. KSC will experience showers and thunderstorms in the early afternoon, and easterly mid-level flow will cause storms to move inland by the late afternoon. Tuesday, the ridge will migrate back to the south, and KSC will again have thunderstorms develop later in the afternoon.
"By Wednesday, a dryer atmosphere and the 1223EDT launch time should provide decent weather conditions for launch. Our primary concerns for launch are cumulus clouds within 10 nautical miles of Complex 39B and isolated showers within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).
"The probability of KSC weather prohibiting launch increases slightly the following two days due to a frontal boundary approaching Central Florida from the northwest. This boundary with the strong upper level winds from the west may cause anvil clouds from thunderstorms in the Gulf of Mexico and along the west coast of Florida to advect east toward KSC."
Clouds: Cumulus Scattered at 3,000 feet and tops at 6,000 feet with 3/8ths sky coverage; Cirrus Scattered at 25,000 feet and tops at 26,000 feet with 4/8ths sky coverage
Visibility: 7 miles
Launch Pad Winds: Easterly from 070 degrees at 8 to 12 knots
Temperature: 85 degrees F
Relative Humidity: 65 percent
Weather in area: None
Probability of Violating Weather Constraints: 20 percent
Concerns: Cumulus clouds within 10 nautical miles of the launch pad; showers within 20 nautical miles of the emergency runway
