NDFD2_CONUS

National Digital Forecast Database from the National Weather Service (NWS) is a seamless mosaic of digital forecasts from the NWS field offices working in collaboration with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP); https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/mdl/ndfd/" . Gridded wind forecasts are available for CONUS, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, Oceanic and Micronesia. Other NDFD products and regions can be viewed at: https://digital.mdl.nws.noaa.gov . Products relevant to SAR include: Relative Humidity (useful for PSDA); Weather, % cloud cover (Sky cover), and Probability of Precipitation (useful for visibility estimates); and Wave Height (ft).

STOFS_ATL_W

The Surge and Tide Operational Forecast System 3D component for the Northwest Atlantic basin, (STOFS-3D-Atlantic), incorporates surface meteorological forcing from the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) and the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model. GFS data has a spatial resolution of 13 km, a temporal resolution of 1 hour, and a forecast horizon of up to 96 hours. HRRR data provide higher spatial resolution at 3 km and the same hourly temporal resolution but cover a smaller geographical domain with a shorter forecast horizon of up to 48 hours. Due to the higher spatial resolution of HRRR compared to GFS, STOFS-3D-Atlantic blends data from both models, prioritizing HRRR for regions within its coverage. Specifically, HRRR data are used for the 24-hour nowcast and the initial 48 hours of the forecast. For areas outside HRRR’s domain and for the 49- to 96-hour forecast period, STOFS-3D-Atlantic uses GFS data. Therefore, to support the up to 96 hrs forecast, it blends both HRRR and GFS to fulfill the purpose.

HRRR_US_W

The HRRR is a NOAA real-time 3-km resolution (1.6 NM), updated hourly, cloud-resolving, convection-allowing atmospheric model, initialized by 3km grids with 3km radar assimilation. Radar data is assimilated in the HRRR every 15 min over a 1-h period adding further detail to that provided by the hourly data assimilation from the 13km radar-enhanced Rapid Refresh. The forecasts run out to 48 hours. Model output parameters are pressure, wind, wind gust, rain, cloud, temperature, humidity, dew point, convection, smoke, simulated radar, precipitable water, lightning, visibility, 0C isotherm, 250 mb, 500 mb, 850 mb.

NAM_CONUS_5km_W, NAM_CONUS_12km

North American Mesoscale (NAM) models are regional mesoscale data assimilation and forecast model systems. NAM is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) common modeling infrastructure since June 20, 2007. http://www.dtcenter.org/wrf-nmm/users/OnLineTutorial/NMM/index.php NAM CONUS 12km is currently running at 12 km resolution and 60 layers. NAM forecasts are produced every six hours at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC. The NAM graphics are available at six hour increments out to 84 hours. The NAM has non-hydrostatic dynamics and a full suite of physical parameterizations and a land surface model. Information on the model products is found at http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/products/nam/ page. The link to the latest information about the NAM model is: http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/mmbpll/etapll/

GFS_NCEP_W

Global Forecast System (GFS) http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/gmb/moorthi/gam.html first became operational in 1980 and has undergone updating since then. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) / National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) run GFS. GFS is a global spectral data assimilation and forecast model system. GFS has 64 unequally spaced surface pressure layers from the surface to the top of the atmosphere. NCEP implemented major changes to GFS on May 31, 2005. GFS forecasts are produced every six hours at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC. The horizontal resolution increased from approximately 50 km to approximately 35 km in both the analysis and forecast model. GFS contains a full suite of parameterized physics as well as accompanying sea-ice and land-surface models. Land is based upon a USGS global digital elevation model at approximately 1 km resolution. Sea surface temperatures, sea ice, snow cover and surface characteristics for wind speed are accounted for in the model. Information on the model products can be found at the production model web page http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/products/gfs/. The link to the latest information about the GFS is: http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/modelinfo

NAVGEM_W

Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM) is the U. S. Navy's global numerical weather prediction model. NAVGEM was implemented with a resolution of T359L50, an equivalent grid point resolution of about 0.333 degrees. The model top pressure is set at 0.04 hPa (0.04 mbar); however, the first velocity and temperature level is approximately 0.07 hPa (0.07 mbar). The primitive atmospheric variables are surface pressure, wind velocity, virtual potential temperature, specific humidity, ozone, cloud liquid water, and cloud ice water. NAVGEM also includes a four-layer soil prediction system, which forecasts soil temperature, soil liquid water, and soil ice water down to 2 meters, and a four-layer sea-ice temperature prediction calculation.

The operational NAVGEM runs in a massively parallel system and executes several times each 00-UTC and 12-UTC watch, including a 7.5-day forecast completing approximately five hours past the synoptic time. NAVGEM currently outputs close to 80,000 gridded fields per day. NAVGEM also provides essential and tailored input to many other models, including the Navy's advanced Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS), ocean wave model, sea ice model, ocean circulation model, ocean thermodynamics model, tropical cyclone model, aerosol model, aircraft and ship-routing programs, and numerous other application programs at FNMOC (Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center). Along with the NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab (GFDL) tropical cyclone forecast model and the UK Met Office and Japanese global models, NAVGEM is a primary tropical cyclone forecast tool for forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

For its data assimilation, NAVGEM employs the Navy Research Lab (NRL) Atmospheric Variational Data Assimilation System-Accelerated Representer (NAVDAS-AR). The analysis is performed on the Gaussian grid of the T359L50 global spectral model.

Besides using conventional observations (surface, rawinsonde (wind probe), pibal (pilot balloon), and aircraft), the analysis makes heavy use of various forms of satellite-derived observations. The analysis employs both direct radiance (brightness temperature) and derived soundings from NOAA and DMSP polar-orbiting satellites. Additional soundings are derived via GPS-radio occultation measurements between the GPS satellites and low-earth satellite. Surface marine winds are assimilated using SSMI (wind speed EDR), ASCAT, and WindSat, while winds aloft are estimated from atmospheric motion vector measurements using water vapor, infrared, and visible satellite imagery (Geostationary, MODIS, AVHRR, and LEO/GEO).

The NAVGEM model time step is currently 360 seconds (six minutes).

ECMWF_NOAA_W

The ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) is an independent intergovernmental research organization supported by European nations and located in the UK. ECMWF provides operational services by combining the scientific and technical resources of European meteorological services and institutions to produce numerical weather forecasts for medium-range timescales, including the ECMWF Winds. The Atmospheric General Circulation model is the atmospheric component of ECMWF IFS (Integrated Forecasting System) which is an Earth System Model. The atmospheric component captures the dynamical evolution of the atmosphere for medium-range forecasts. The ECMWF global medium-range forecast provides high-resolution forecasts (HRES). The HRES is a single prediction that uses observations, prior information about the Earth-system and the ECMWF's highest resolution model. On average over many forecasts the HRES is ECMWF's most accurate prediction of future weather to about 10 days ahead. The HRES is a single run created twice daily giving forecasts to Day 10 based on 00UTC and 12UTC data times. The HRES current resolution is 9 km. HRES is also coupled to the ECMWF Ocean Wave Model (ECWAM) and the Dynamic Ocean model (Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean-NEMO). This coupling facilitates getting important feedback to the atmosphere and capturing the change of ocean state on a daily timescale as these variations can be important in certain situations during the forecast evolution.