Kevin_Lemanowicz's Blog

It is September 10th, the eve of the 7th anniversary of the most tragic day in America.  I certainly do not want to retell what happened.  We all know, and we all cried.  Undoubtedly, you remember where you were, but do you remember the day?  Specifically, do you remember how the weather was that day?  This is not a question that should elicit a "who cares what the weather was" response.  Rather, you should know that the diabolical plot likely needed a day like it was for it to be carried out. 

It was a crisp morning.  The sky was deep blue, without a cloud in it.  The sun was shining brightly.  Visibility for pilots would have been unlimited, only limited by the capability of the human eye.  There were no weather obstacles to get the madmen to their destination on the ground to carry out what they would do in the air.  In the air, there was no strong wind, no fog, no clouds, no precipitation... perfect flying weather.  That would be extra important for novice pilots. 

There is no way to know for sure if the attackers were really paying attention to forecasts to coordinate the plan.  We do know, however, that weather forecasting plays an intrical role in war strategy.  When I was a senior at Cornell, we were heavily recruited by the Air Force as it was during the first Gulf War.  You can read about how the weather forecast played a critical role in the D-Day invasin in World War 2.  Whether they were waiting for it or not, the attackers on September 11th, 2001, had perfect weather to do what they planned to do.

Tomorrow, September 11th, 2008, will be eerily similar to that day 7 years ago.  It'll be a crisp sunlit morning, with blue, cloudless skies.  It'll be another reminder to me of what happened.

Not that I needed it.

kpl