BUFKIT Update

[rdale]

I forgot this change was coming in May - you now can display the full 84 hours of NAM data in BUFKIT instead of 60 for the 00/12Z run and 48 for 06/18Z.

In the profile display, you'll need to hit the "84" box in the lower-left every time you open it up.

- Rob

 

[Blake Michaleski]

cool.... If I'm not mistaken and I hear my Prof correctly.... the ETA is getting thrown in the circular file cabinet and the WRF is going to become the new NAM....

 

[Jeff Snyder]

cool.... If I'm not mistaken and I hear my Prof correctly.... the ETA is getting thrown in the circular file cabinet and the WRF is going to become the new NAM....
[/b]

ON JUNE 13 2006...BEGINNING WITH THE 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL
TIME /UTC/ RUN...THE NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PREDICTION /NCEP/ WILL REPLACE THE FORECAST MODEL CURRENTLY RUN
IN THE NORTH AMERICAN MESOSCALE SYSTEM. THE 12 KM HORIZONTAL
RESOLUTION ETA MODEL IS CURRENTLY USED IN THIS SYSTEM. THE MODEL
WILL BE REPLACED WITH A 12 KM HORIZONTAL RESOLUTION WEATHER
RESEARCH AND FORECASTING /WRF/ VERSION OF THE NON-HYDROSTATIC
MESOSCALE MODEL /NMM/.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NCEP ETA AND WRF NMM SYSTEMS ARE AS
FOLLOWS:

1. MODEL CHANGES

- REPLACE ETA PREDICTION MODEL WITH WRF VERSION OF THE NON-
HYDROSTATIC MESO MODEL (WRF-NMM)
- EXTENDED MODEL TOP PRESSURE FROM 25 MB TO 2 MB
- REPLACE ETA STEP-MOUNTAIN VERTICAL COORDINATE WITH NMM HYBRID
SIGMA-PRESSURE VERTICAL COORDINATE
- REFINED/RETUNED NUMEROUS ASPECTS OF THE ETA MODEL PHYSICS FOR
USE IN THE NMM

2. ANALYSIS CHANGES

- REPLACE ETA 3DVAR ANALYSIS SYSTEM WITH THE NEW UNIFIED GSI
ANALYSIS SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN ADAPTED FOR APPLICATION TO THE WRF-
NMM
- REPLACE NEXRAD LEVEL II.5 DATA IN ETA 3DVAR WITH NEXRAD LEVEL
II RADIAL WIND DATA IN GSI
- GSI USES BACKGROUND ERRORS BASED ON WRF-NMM FORECASTS...ETA
3DVAR USED BACKGROUND ERRORS BASED ON GFS FORECASTS
- USE OF DYNAMICALLY RETUNED OBSERVATIONAL ERRORS

3. DATA ASSIMILATION CHANGES

- IMPLEMENT DIRECT USE OF OBSERVED PRECIPITATION ANALYSIS VALUES
IN THE LAND-SURFACE PHYSICS MODULES. THIS REPLACES PRIOR USE OF
NUDGING /TO PRECIPITATION AND GOES CLOUD TOP PRESSURES/ [/b]

--> http://www.weather.gov/os/notification/tin...replacement.txt

 

[rdale]

...and a new version of BUFKIT was just released yesterday, http://www.wdtb.noaa.gov

 

[Bob Hartig]

I've heard of Bufkit but am not familiar with it. The download appears to be for winter weather. Is it also useful for storm chasing? If so, how does it compare with other Wx programs (other than the obvious advantage of its being free! )

 

[rdale]

It's incredibly useful for severe weather, it offers many functions that are not available in other packages (or are harder to get at.) If you read through the training and docs you'll see more.

 

[Alex Lamers]

So Build 48 will extend the NAM time on there? what happens when they switch over to WRF, will the data sites remain the same or do we have to find new source data?

Thanks rdale, been wondering when they would have a new build

 

[rdale]

Old and new versions will display 84 hours in the profile, both actually default to 60 so you just have to click the 84 button.

The NAM is all that counts, if you are getting NAM data now you'll get it later. NAM stands for whatever is the short-range model running first. Right now it's the Eta, next week it'll be the WRF. But it's still called the NAM so no datasources will change.