National Severe Storms Laboratory Seminar Series presents...
(in assocation with Storm Prediction Center)
The Latest in Rapid Updating NWP: Radar Reflectivity Assimilation in RUC/RR, Transition from RUC to Rapid Refresh, and the 3km HRRR nest inside the RUC/RR
Stan Benjamin
NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Systems Division, Boulder, CO
14 April 2009, 10:30 AM
National Weather Center, Room 1313
120 David L. Boren Blvd.
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK
Directions to the NWC (.pdf, 60 kb)
Significant advances in hourly-updated NWP in NOAA have occurred in the last 6 months, and are in development and real-time testing for NCEP operations over the next 3 years. The 13km hourly-updating Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) at NCEP had a major upgrade in November/December 2008, including the first radar reflectivity assimilation at NCEP in any of its operational models. The radar reflectivity assimilation method takes advantage of the digital filter initialization already in the RUC forecast model, and will be described at the seminar.
At the same time, the Rapid Refresh (RR) model/assimilation system, based on RR-modified versions of WRF-ARW and GSI, is well on its way to replacing the RUC, planned for spring 2010. The seminar will include a full description of the RR testing over North America including radar reflectivity assimilation.