I was working the forecast desk at Scott Air Force Base when I heard from the duty officer that an incoming C-5 was low on fuel and needed to land. My name is Slade, Master Sergeant Jack Slade, and I'm a forecaster.

The time was 0900Z, and there was precip in the forecast. While light rain wouldn't be a problem, heavy rain or snow would drop conditions below minimums. We had a layer of dry air near the surface, conducive to coolingperhaps enough to allow a change from rain over to snow. And while no precip had fallen yet, the St. Louis radar was painting echoes over central Missouri.

I had to decide which would get here first: the C-5 or the precip? And what kind of precip were we going to get?