Nested Grid Model (NGM) Data, Analyses, and Forecasts for North America Using

the Regional Analysis and Forecast System (RAFS)

BRIEF

These analyses and forecasts are associated with what is called the 'Regional Run' (RGL), the second in a series of daily forecast models operated by the National Meteorological Center (NMC). The RGL which is run twice daily is intended to provide the best possible numerical analysis and forecasts for the U.S. by providing more detailed regional forecasts using full rawinsonde data and providing more detailed precipitation guidance. The analysis/forecast system used in the run is commonly known as the regional analysis and forecast system (RAFS). A data cutoff time of approximately 2 hours is used to include the majority of North American mandatory and significant level tropospheric rawinsonde reports. The data include geopotential height, temperature, u and v winds, humidity, vorticity, vertical velocity, precipitation, moisture, cloud coverage, u and v momentum, pressure, surface energy budget, and skin and sub-soil temperatures. Data sources include NWS observations, surface observations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), international observations received on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Telecommunications System (GTS), and satellite products provided by the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS).

The regional optimum interpolation (ROI) analysis is utilized in the RGL run (DiMego 1988). The 6-hour forecast first-guess fields from the 'Final Run' (FNL) are first interpolated to the RAFS forecast grids and to the 16 vertical layers of the nested grid model (NGM) and subjected to an implicit normal mode initialization (Temperton 1988). The guess information is then interpolated to a variable density analysis grid covering the Northern Hemisphere, using a grid spacing of about 1.5 X 2.0 degree latitude/longitude over North America and approximately 3 degrees elsewhere. The fields are then interpolated back to the NGM grids and subjected to an incremental normal mode initialization (Parrish 1989), which bring the mass and motion fields into approximate balance. The forecast system uses a nested set of computational grids having approximate resolutions of 360 (hemispheric), 180, and 90 (North America) km. As the forecast proceeds, output is generated for mandatory pressure levels as needed at 6-hour intervals, with precipitation and velocity fields outputted on the 90 km grid while other fields are interpolated to the lower resolution grids. The RGL analysis and forecast codes execute on the CYBER computers and require about 23 and 27 minutes, while all other jobs (those that collect observations to be passed to the ROI or generate maps and other forms of output from the forecasts) are executed on the NAS 9000. If the CYBER computers are unavailable, the RGL run is not executed.

ATTRIBUTES

Entry_ID: NMC_695 NWS0001 (MD Identifier: 270)
 
Temporal Coverage:
     From: 1984-09-24                 TO:  
 
Geographic Coverage:
     Southwest Extent: 0 ,180E     Northeast Extent:  90N,45W
 
Storage Media:
     Magnetic Tapes 1600 bpi
     On-line
 
Discipline, Subdiscipline:
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > ATMOSPHERE
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > INTERIOR AND CRUST
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > LAND
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > OCEAN
 
Location Keyword:
     ATLANTIC OCEAN
     BOUNDARY LAYER
     EQUATORIAL
     MID-LATITUDE
     NORTH AMERICA
     PACIFIC OCEAN
     POLAR
     STRATOSPHERE
     TROPOSPHERE
 
Parameter Group, Parameter:
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > CLOUDS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > CLOUD TYPES
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > HEAT FLUX
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > PRECIPITATION
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > PRESSURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > SOLAR RADIATION
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > STORMS
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > WINDS
     EARTH RADIATIVE PROCESSES       > HEAT FLUX
     EARTH RADIATIVE PROCESSES       > RADIANCE
     EARTH RADIATIVE PROCESSES       > SOLAR ACTIVITY
     GEOGRAPHY AND LAND COVER        > SOILS
     GEOLOGICAL PARAMETERS           > SOILS
     HYDROLOGIC PARAMETERS           > TEMPERATURE
     OCEAN DYNAMICS                  > WINDS
 
General Keywords:
     ANALYSES
     ENERGY BUDGET
     FORECASTS
     GRID DATA
     METEOROLOGY
     MODEL
     NGM
     NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION
     RAFS PROFILES
     SURFACE
     UPPER AIR
     VERTICAL VELOCITY
     VORTICITY
 
Revision Date: 1993-02-09

DATACENTER

Archive: 
   NCAR>National Center for Atmospheric Research
   Data Set ID: DS 69.5 
 
   Contact: JOSEPH, DENNIS 
            National Center for Atmospheric Research
            Data Support Section
            P.O. Box 3000
            Boulder, CO  80307
            USA
 
            Electronic Mail: INTERNET> JOSEPH@BIERSTADT.SCD.UCAR.EDU
 
            Phone: 303-497-1216
 
Archive: 
   NOAA/NWS/NMC>National Meteorological Center, NOAA
   Data Set ID: NGM 
                RAFS PROFILES 
 
   Contact: STACKPOLE, JOHN D.
            NOAA/NWS/NMC
            5200 Auth Road
            Washington, DC 20233
            USA
 
            Phone: (301) 763-8115
 
Archive: 
   NSSDC>National Space Science Data Center, NASA
   Data Set ID: GN-31A 
 
   Contact: COORDINATED REQUEST & USER SUPPORT OFFICE,  
            National Space Science Data Center
            Mail Code 633.4
            NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
            Greenbelt, MD 20771
            USA
 
            Electronic Mail: INTERNET> request@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov
                             NSI/DECNET> 15548::REQUEST
                             NSI/DECNET> 15578::REQUEST
 
            Phone: (301) 286-6695
                   FAX (301) 286-1771

PERSONNEL

Investigator: PETERSEN, RALPH 
              National Weather Service W/NMC22
              Room 204
              World Weather Building
              Washington, DC 20233
              USA
 
              Phone: (301) 763-8056
 
Tech Contact: JENNE, ROY 
              National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
              P.O. Box 3000
              Boulder, CO 80307-3000
              USA
 
              Electronic Mail: OMNET> R.JENNE
 
              Phone: (303) 497-1215
 
Entry Author: SCIALDONE, JOHN N.
              Hughes STX
              7701 Greenbelt Road, Suite 400
              Greenbelt, MD  20770
              USA
 
              Electronic Mail: INTERNET> SCIALDONE@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
                               NSI/DECnet> NCF::SCIALDONE
 
              Phone: (301) 441-4214
 
 
Information in this entry provided by NCAR

REFERENCE


DiMego, G.J., 1988: The National Meteorological Center Regional Analysis
System. Mon. Wea. Rev.., 116, 977-1000.

Parrish, D., 1989: Application of Implicit Normal Mode Initialization to the
NMC Nested Grid Model. Mon. Wea. Rev., in press.

Petersen, R.A., and J.D. Stackpole, 1989: Overview of the NMC Production Suite.
Weather and Forecasting, 4, 313-322.

Temperton, C., 1988: Implicit Normal Mode Initialization. Mon. Wea. Rev., 116,
1013-1031.

SUP_MENU

   1. Data Center: NCAR>National Center for Atmospheric Research
  
   2. Data Center: NSSDC>National Space Science Data Center, NASA