Surface/Constant Pressure Prognostic Charts

BRIEF

The Surface Prognostic Charts are produced at National Weather Service (NWS) centers for distribution on weather facsimile circuits. These charts are a man-machine prognosis with a modification as time permits, consisting of manually added fronts with primary emphasis on subjectively interpreted depiction of clouds and precipitation. The 12 and 24-hour prognoses are prepared 4 times daily from 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z initial data. The 36 and 48-hour prognoses (with prog discussions) are prepared twice daily from 00Z and 12Z initial data. They include fronts, isobars, cloud and precipitation areas. They are transmitted as two separate charts: 1) four-panel 12 and 24-hour prognosis in which the upper two panels are devoted to low-level significant weather and 2) two-panel 36 and 48-hour prognosis with prog discussion.

The Constant Pressure Prognostic Charts are produced at NWS centers for distribution on weather facsimile circuits. These charts are computer produced operational forecasts beginning 4 hours after 00Z and 12Z observation times on a 1:40 million scale (unless otherwise noted). The forecast levels are 1000, 850, 700, 500, 300, 200, and 100 mb. Most levels are forecast in 12 hour increments out to 48 hours, however the 500 mb is forecast out to 168 hours. The forecasts usually consist of two or more of the following: height contours (all charts) in solid lines in decameters at 60 or 120-meter intervals, temperature in dashed lines at intervals of 5 degree C, wind in dashed lines at intervals of 20 knots, and thickness (derived from subtracting the height of a low level from a higher one) in dashed lines in decameters at 60-meter intervals.

ATTRIBUTES

Entry_ID: FA00420_422 (MD Identifier: 414)
 
Geographic Coverage:
     Southwest Extent: 17N,180E    Northeast Extent:  72N,65W
 
Storage Media:
     Charts
 
Discipline, Subdiscipline:
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > ATMOSPHERE
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > LAND
 
Location Keyword:
     BOUNDARY LAYER
     EQUATORIAL
     MID-LATITUDE
     NORTH AMERICA
     POLAR
     STRATOSPHERE
     TROPOSPHERE
 
Parameter Group, Parameter:
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > CLOUDS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > CLOUD TYPES
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > PRECIPITATION
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > PRESSURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > STORMS
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > VISIBILITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > WINDS
     GEOGRAPHY AND LAND COVER        > ICE
     GEOGRAPHY AND LAND COVER        > SNOW
 
General Keywords:
     CLIMATOLOGY
     FRONT
     HOURLY DATA
     PROGCP
     PROGSF
     SURFACE
     UPPER AIR
     WEATHER
 
Revision Date: 1992-03-25

DATACENTER

Archive: 
   NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC>National Climatic Data Center, NOAA
   Data Set ID: PROGSF,PROGCP 
 
   Contact: ROSS, THOMAS 
            NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC
            Federal Building
            37 Battery Park Avenue
            Asheville, NC 28801-2733
            USA
 
            Electronic Mail: INTERNET> TROSS@NCDC.NOAA.GOV
 
            Phone: (704) 271-4994

PERSONNEL

Tech Contact: ROSS, THOMAS 
              NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC
              Federal Building
              37 Battery Park Avenue
              Asheville, NC 28801-2733
              USA
 
              Electronic Mail: INTERNET> TROSS@NCDC.NOAA.GOV
 
              Phone: (704) 271-4994
 
Entry Author: STEURER, PETER 
              NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC
              Federal Building
              37 Battery Park Avenue
              Asheville, NC 28801-2733
              USA
 
              Phone: (704) 271-4445
 
 
Information in this entry provided by NCDC

REFERENCE


NOAA Product Information Catalog, 1988, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington DC,
171 pp.

Selected Guide to Climatic Data Sources, 1988, U.S. Dept. of Commerce,
Washington DC.

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