F5 data vs EUROWX vs ??

[Andrew Clope]

Hey guys, first off I wanted to say thank you for the information that you've so generously given me so far. As I've said before, I have loved storms for as long as I can remember, and finally decided that I want to learn the science behind them, and maybe if I'm lucky see a supercell or tornado someday (call me crazy, but I'm actually more impressed by a well defined supercell than I am a tornado!).

Anyways, just wanted to thank you guys for all of the help so far.

I'm halfway through the thermodynamics chapter in Tim Vasquez' book "Weather Analysis and Forecasting Handbook" so maybe he covers this later in the book, but I'd like to try my hand at setting up my own forecasts and then as reports come in, see how correct/incorrect I am/was. I'm beginning to understand the SKEW-T Log-P's and what a sounding can tell you as Tim does a great job of explaining it in the book, but what other models should I be using? I see things like GFS and a few others that I cannot recall. Do I need to be familiar with these? The sheer amount of models that I see forecasters talk about just blows me away! So much information to absorb.

I see both F5 data and EUROWX advertised and talked about. From my understanding, they just wrap all of the different models up into one program?

What models do you folks feel are the MOST beneficial and the most needed to understand early in my learning experience? Which ones do I need to understand first? Which ones should I steer clear of just for sake of confusion?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Jeff Duda]

If you're a beginner I wouldn't start sinking money into subscription sites that don't offer you much more than the plethora of free sites on the web. I would consider using the following sites for looking at model forecasts, as they are among the more popular, they are readily accessible, and they are FREE:
weather.rap.ucar.edu/model/
weather.cod.edu/forecast
twisterdata.com
http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/ (click on MODEL GUIDANCE)

All of the above sites offer output from the major models run by NCEP/NOAA/NWS (i.e., the US government entity responsible for weather prediction in the US). These models include
NAM (regional and short-range)
GFS (global and medium-range)
RAP (shorter range than NAM but also updated more frequently)
SREF (basically the same as the NAM, but using an ensemble approach instead of a deterministic approach)

Additional major models are run by entities outside the US, including Environment Canada, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and the United Kingdom Met Office. These entities run some models that are not always available on the sites above, but there are FREE websites for viewing the output from these other models. These other models include:
Global Deterministic Prediction System (GDPS) run by Environment Canada (http://weather.gc.ca/model_forecast/global_e.html)
ECMWF model (run by ECMWF and commonly referred to as the "Euro" model): LINK
UKMET model

As a beginner, stick to the NAM and GFS to learn how model forecasting works.

 

[rdale]

http://hazwx.com/maps if you really need access from mobile devices and/or when not in front of your PC. AtmoGraph if you want just good model data. GEMPAK if you want the whole model / satellite / radar / soundings / etc. package.