Data collected by the University of South Alabama Mesonet during Tropical Storm Fay (2008) and Hurricane Ida (2009)

In August 2008 Tropical Storm Fay made landfall in the Florida Panhandle and traveled westwards across the University of South Alabama (USA) Mesonet. Ten stations collected detailed surface-based observations of the system as it moved across southern Alabama and Mississippi. The storm's low-level wind field and rainfall pattern will be discussed and compared to radar observations from the nearby WSR-88D site at the Mobile Regional Airport.

In November 2009, Hurricane Ida approached the north-central Gulf Coast and made landfall in the region where the USA Mesonet stations are located. Detailed wind, rainfall, pressure, and temperature data were collected by 14 stations. The storm's low-level wind field and rainfall pattern will be displayed and compared to radar observations from the nearby WSR-88D site at the Mobile Regional Airport.

The USA Mesonet collects 17 meteorological parameters at different levels and at 1-minute intervals, allowing detailed study of the evolution of the 2 and 10 m wind field, pressure, temperature, dew-point, and the rainfall fields as the two storms came ashore. Similarly, derived parameters such as the equivalent potential temperature can be calculated and examined. A thorough investigation of the spatial evolution of these parameters will provide a comprehensive picture of how the storms changed as they made landfall.