One of the largest Delta launch vehicles in the arsenal, a Delta IV, will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 4:05 p.m. PST local time across Southern California and may be visible up to 150 miles away. I’ve embedded the live broadcast video of the launch, which starts at 12:40pm PT. Get the complete details and weather by reading on.
Although the launch won’t look anything like the launch of last month’s Falcon 9 rocket at twilight, the launch is happening during a time of offshore flow. Offshore flow tends to bring greater visibilities to the region and the end result would be seeing the rocket’s exhaust plume easier against the blue sky. Generally haze with a milky blue sky would make for tough viewing conditions even at 50 miles from the launch pad. However, today the visibility is high and thus it should be visible for those who know where to look.
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At 4:05 p.m. PST exactly, the Delta IV with the two-solid rocket boosters will liftoff. Weather at the pad here at Southern California Weather Force on the grid models suggest northwest winds at 10-15 mph with 20 mph gusts, close to the surface restriction to abort the launch. Upper level conditions are green-light at the time. The only thing I see for an abort would be the surface winds, but that decision is up to ground control officers at the base. From where I stand I’ll do a 75% chance of launch. If scrubbed, tomorrow looks worse with 25-30 mph wind gusts at the launch pad. The next chance would be Saturday.
If east of Santa Barbara look west for a white column of smoke low on the horizon. It’ll look like a jet contrail shooting up. This column will vanish as the solid rocket motors burn out so this event will not last too long. If in San Luis Obispo or Bakersfield look south. The launch should be visible as far as San Diego, The High Desert, and the Inland Empire zones. Remember, look low on the horizon for the start of the plume if you are further than Los Angeles and Orange County.
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The start of the launch window is 4:05 p.m. PST on the dot, however it is not being made public how long this window remains open, but it could remain open for four hours. Still, the live broadcast video embedded below in this article can be followed after 12:40pm PT on what it actually does launch so you can go outside to try and see it.
As for our medium/long range forecast outlook. Pattern looks to return to trough pattern across California. A couple systems are in the works, however the Weather Agreement model stands at 20% chance LA would see more than an inch of rain from the systems. Being this far out, 20% is not too bad and the number will rise or fall with confidence level establishing as well. The first system after the 18th could be a northern slider and bring more precipitation to the Kern Mountains rather than metro Los Angeles. Northern sliders also bring gusty winds to all coastal, mountain, and desert zones and at times does bring them down I-5 into the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley in what I call a Northwest I-5 Corridor Wind Event.
As of now the flood zones are going to get a break. The system after that is still a bit up in the area. Although it will hit California, continued monitoring of how far south it’ll impact is what I am doing for the next 5 days.
Stay tuned to Southern California Weather Force for any additional updates
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