FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017
Eye on the Fleet
mediterranean Sea
VOL. 17 NO. 25
WWW.CNIC.NAVY.MIL/KEYWEST NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, FLORIDA
Get smart, stay cool to defeat heat From NAS Key West Public Affairs
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(June 19, 2017) Lt. Caitlyn Hoysock performs a dental procedure on a Sailor in the dental office aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The ship and its carrier strike group are conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.
U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Tristan Lotz
inside: GET EDUCATED National Lightning Week. . 2 WHAT’S UP MWR activities. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ASK THE DOC Just be cool, okay?. . . . . . . . 5 TOP OF PAGE ONE: An EA-18G Growler assigned to the ‘Gauntlets’ of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 receives fuel from an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the ‘Kestrels’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 as part of an air power demonstration above USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during a tiger cruise.
of the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. “A cell can build and then collapse within 15 minutes,” said Cotter. “We don’t want to cry wolf. We really try to be focused on being accurate, and safety always comes first.” A storm cell doesn’t have to be directly overhead for the threat of lightning to exist, he stressed. “The cell can be 10 miles away and there is still a big chance of a strike.”
ummer had its official start Wednesday although heat and humidity began permeating the Keys weeks, if not months, ago. The temps will continue to rise and, being in a subtropical zone, the sun will shine stronger. The combination of heat, sun and humidity can be a killer. At NAS Key West, fitness staff on Boca Chica Field maintain a flag system at the entrance to the fitness center to alert Sailors and civilians to the conditions that could cause heat-related health illnesses. “The flags we put out are based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature readings, which is the heat index and how it feels outside,” according to Fitness Director Danna Gardner. “Each flag represents a heat index range and lets us know how much time we should spend outside exercising versus resting periods.” The system provides a safety standard for how long individuals can safely
see storm page 7
see heat page 3
U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Cody Babin
With storm clouds building overhead, Sigsbee Marina employee Major Torley takes down the bimini top on a Morale, Welfare and Recreation watercraft Thursday as a precaution.
Forecasters keep a close eye on NAS skies From NAS Key West Public Affairs
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t’s been a particularly active storm hurricane season so far, with three named tropical storms since the start of the season on June 1. Although the Keys haven’t been in the path of the storms, the associated wind, lighting and rain do affect training at Naval Air Station Key West’s Boca Chica Field when flightline crews are forced to run for shelter. The Meteorology
Department at NAS supports flight operations by providing weather updates and sounding the alarm if there is an approaching thunderstorm, which brings with it low flight ceilings, wind shear, heavy rain and lightning. “That’s probably the most important aspect of what we do here,” said Tom Cotter, supervisor of NAS Key West’s weather office. The office, in the Air Operations Building, has three meteorologists keeping track of weather conditions within a 10-mile
radius of the airfield. When the weather office issues a thunderstorm warning, airfield crews are expected to seek cover because of the potential of lightning strikes. This also means that all airfield operations stop. The weather office sends its alerts to more than 50 contacts, including Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities, especially the Trumbo Pool and marinas. Cotter said the challenge with forecasting here is that weather formations can change rapidly because