EXAMPLES
FOR WINTER STORM RECONNAISSANCE
DATA IMPACT

Date:    990113    Material provided by Brad Ballish, NCO
Data collected on this flight, which had to be cut short due to engine problems, had a strong impact on the analysis. The flight  followed a predesigned track, selected based on objective sensitivity guidance. It explored the back side of a surface low. When comparing the first guess field with the final analysis, we can see that the impact of the data moved the surface low  more than five degrees  to the east.  The vertical profile of a sounding indicated that the analysis, as expected, is much more consistent with the targeted dropsonde data than the first guess forecast.