Sacramento Area Local News

AT SEA, U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CBS13) ― Mother Nature can be tricky and occasionally unpredictable, and that's why the military keeps a close eye on her.

"Don't like to make war, but when we have to put ordinance on target, that's our job," says LCDR Shawn Gallaher, flag oceanographer for Carrier Strike Group Three.

Whether it's the war on terror or the fight for freedom, successful missions depend on the men and women of the United States' military, and their success often begins with the unlikeliest of American heroes.

Standing in the middle of the flight deck of the U.S.S. John C. Stennis, CVN-74, it's easy to see that keeping these planes aloft is a team effort, from the guys down here on the deck, to the meteorologists up in their tower.

Yep -- meteorologists. It's on O-6 level, and affectionately called the "metro office."

One of the men in charge is Petty Officer David Stickler.

I would say this is most important part of the ship, but Stickler replies to that with a grin. "Uh; some people don't see it that way. But to us it's the most important, everything starts here."

Stickler and his group of shipboard aerographers, or AG's, are the meteorologists who help missions happen. LCDR Brian Stoddard, Stennis assistant navigator, puts it this way: "I like to look at them as a decision making tool. Part of our matrix you know. Hey, this is where we want to be, this is how we want to get there. And they basically tell us whether it's a good idea or not."

Pilots, like Lt. Mike Messler, have faced frightening forces of nature while running missions over Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Running through some thunderstorms out there, run into some St. Elmo's fire… you're seeing flashes of lightening all around, the whole windscreens' lighting up with electricity."

Their missions become more dangerous and targets harder to hit, and some smart bombs aren't so smart in adverse weather.

Stickler says "the planes tend to fly pretty high, they want to drop their bombs and get out of there, so if there's a cloud layer in between or if there's a lot of humidity that can adversely affect the lazing of the target."

But they can be replaced if crews know what's in the forecast.

"If the strike package gets there and it doesn't have the right weaponry on it because we didn't look at the weather, then we just lost a high value terrorist target," says Gallaher.

There's a lot more riding on their forecasts than a rained out barbeque. Ground forces rely heavily on the weather data these guys have access to. They need to prepare for high winds and the sandstorms they kick-up, which have been known to drift out to sea.

"The forecaster comes up and says 'hey sir, we have a sandstorm heading our way,'" Stoddard says.

Any zero-visibility conditions, let alone blinding sand conditions, can ground air-ops. Safety is the most important consideration on any carrier. Pilots know that nearly 1-in-4 accidents onboard are weather-related.

"The fog came out of pretty much nowhere" says Lt. Kate Stockton.

She still can't believe the fog they got the day before we arrived. She had to talk a young pilot out of the sky and onto the carrier's deck because he just couldn't see it. Cool heads prevailed, however.

"So, as far as that goes," Stockton says, "we just have to rely on our experience."

That fog caught them all by surprise but the forecasters made good. They delivered a new forecast to assistant navigator Stoddard.

"This is where it's clearing the quickest. This is where we recommend you go. And we fire up the reactors and we head that way."

Soon, air-ops were again underway. Up in metro, weather analysis happens 24/7, using cutting edge technology.

Yet, I actually have something in my arsenal this carrier doesn't -- Doppler radar. Then there's really old school with a hand anemometer; and there's an advantage to having a corner office with a view.

Do they ever just poke your head out the porthole here and check it out? "Quite often."

Observation first; tools second. Aft, on the fantail, is a great spot to release a weather balloon. Hybrids of high-tech and old-school, balloons use sensors and radio signals to send back info on current atmospheric conditions.

They can launch whenever needed, usually once or twice a week. This, and every carrier team, has its weapons, and the experience to use them.

And in this game, meteorologists are in on every play.

"You know, we drive 6,500 people and three billion dollars worth of equipment into a super typhoon, the admiral gets pretty upset, and rightfully so. The stakes are pretty high," Gallaher reminds us.

Driving home the importance of these weather warriors -- three teams of forecasters were able to predict a very narrow window of weather to launch the largest amphibious assault ever -- D-day.

That invasion of Normandy was delayed 24 hours due to poor weather, and that decision is believed to have saved allied forces and mark the beginning of the end of World War Two.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)