6A.4 the National Weather Service Unified Surface Analysis
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International Agencies O World Meteorological Organization (Https
International Agencies o World Meteorological Organization (https://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html) o WMO Regional Climate Centers (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcasp/rcc/rcc.php) o World Air Quality Index (http://waqi.info) o International Research Institute for Climate and Society (https://iri.columbia.edu/) o Climate Research Institute (http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk) o Australia Bureau of Meteorology (http://www.bom.gov.au) o Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Studies (http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu) U.S. Agencies National Centers for Environmental prediction (https://www.ncep.noaa.gov) o Aviation Weather Center (https://aviationweather.gov o Climate Prediction Center (http://www.cpc.noaa.gov) o Environmental Modeling Center (http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov) o National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov) o Ocean Prediction Center (http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov) o Space Weather Prediction Center (https://www.swpc.noaa.gov) o Storm Prediction Center (www.spc.noaa.gov) o Weather Prediction Center (www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (https://noaa.gov) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov) Formerly National Geophysical Data Center and National Climate Data Center National Severe Storms Laboratory (http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/) National Snow and Ice Data Center (http://nsidc.org/) National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (www.nohrsc.noaa.gov) National Drought Mitigation Center (https://drought.unl.edu/) National Environmental Satellite, Data, & Information Service -
Worldwide Marine Radiofacsimile Broadcast Schedules
WORLDWIDE MARINE RADIOFACSIMILE BROADCAST SCHEDULES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL OCEANIC and ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE January 14, 2021 INTRODUCTION Ships....The U.S. Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program needs your help! If your ship is not participating in this worthwhile international program, we urge you to join. Remember, the meteorological agencies that do the weather forecasting cannot help you without input from you. ONLY YOU KNOW THE WEATHER AT YOUR POSITION!! Please report the weather at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC as explained in the National Weather Service Observing Handbook No. 1 for Marine Surface Weather Observations. Within 300 nm of a named hurricane, typhoon or tropical storm, or within 200 nm of U.S. or Canadian waters, also report the weather at 0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 UTC. Your participation is greatly appreciated by all mariners. For assistance, contact a Port Meteorological Officer (PMO), who will come aboard your vessel and provide all the information you need to observe, code and transmit weather observations. This publication is made available via the Internet at: https://weather.gov/marine/media/rfax.pdf The following webpage contains information on the dissemination of U.S. National Weather Service marine products including radiofax, such as frequency and scheduling information as well as links to products. A listing of other recommended webpages may be found in the Appendix. https://weather.gov/marine This PDF file contains links to http pages and FTPMAIL commands. The links may not be compatible with all PDF readers and e-mail systems. The Internet is not part of the National Weather Service's operational data stream and should never be relied upon as a means to obtain the latest forecast and warning data. -
Squall Lines: Meteorology, Skywarn Spotting, & a Brief Look at the 18
Squall Lines: Meteorology, Skywarn Spotting, & A Brief Look At The 18 June 2010 Derecho Gino Izzi National Weather Service, Chicago IL Outline • Meteorology 301: Squall lines – Brief review of thunderstorm basics – Squall lines – Squall line tornadoes – Mesovorticies • Storm spotting for squall lines • Brief Case Study of 18 June 2010 Event Thunderstorm Ingredients • Moisture – Gulf of Mexico most common source locally Thunderstorm Ingredients • Lifting Mechanism(s) – Fronts – Jet Streams – “other” boundaries – topography Thunderstorm Ingredients • Instability – Measure of potential for air to accelerate upward – CAPE: common variable used to quantify magnitude of instability < 1000: weak 1000-2000: moderate 2000-4000: strong 4000+: extreme Thunderstorms Thunderstorms • Moisture + Instability + Lift = Thunderstorms • What kind of thunderstorms? – Single Cell – Multicell/Squall Line – Supercells Thunderstorm Types • What determines T-storm Type? – Short/simplistic answer: CAPE vs Shear Thunderstorm Types • What determines T-storm Type? (Longer/more complex answer) – Lot we don’t know, other factors (besides CAPE/shear) include • Strength of forcing • Strength of CAP • Shear WRT to boundary • Other stuff Thunderstorm Types • Multi-cell squall lines most common type of severe thunderstorm type locally • Most common type of severe weather is damaging winds • Hail and brief tornadoes can occur with most the intense squall lines Squall Lines & Spotting Squall Line Terminology • Squall Line : a relatively narrow line of thunderstorms, often -
NWS Unified Surface Analysis Manual
Unified Surface Analysis Manual Weather Prediction Center Ocean Prediction Center National Hurricane Center Honolulu Forecast Office November 21, 2013 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Surface Analysis – Its History at the Analysis Centers…………….3 Chapter 2: Datasets available for creation of the Unified Analysis………...…..5 Chapter 3: The Unified Surface Analysis and related features.……….……….19 Chapter 4: Creation/Merging of the Unified Surface Analysis………….……..24 Chapter 5: Bibliography………………………………………………….…….30 Appendix A: Unified Graphics Legend showing Ocean Center symbols.….…33 2 Chapter 1: Surface Analysis – Its History at the Analysis Centers 1. INTRODUCTION Since 1942, surface analyses produced by several different offices within the U.S. Weather Bureau (USWB) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Weather Service (NWS) were generally based on the Norwegian Cyclone Model (Bjerknes 1919) over land, and in recent decades, the Shapiro-Keyser Model over the mid-latitudes of the ocean. The graphic below shows a typical evolution according to both models of cyclone development. Conceptual models of cyclone evolution showing lower-tropospheric (e.g., 850-hPa) geopotential height and fronts (top), and lower-tropospheric potential temperature (bottom). (a) Norwegian cyclone model: (I) incipient frontal cyclone, (II) and (III) narrowing warm sector, (IV) occlusion; (b) Shapiro–Keyser cyclone model: (I) incipient frontal cyclone, (II) frontal fracture, (III) frontal T-bone and bent-back front, (IV) frontal T-bone and warm seclusion. Panel (b) is adapted from Shapiro and Keyser (1990) , their FIG. 10.27 ) to enhance the zonal elongation of the cyclone and fronts and to reflect the continued existence of the frontal T-bone in stage IV. -
The Evolution of the 10–11 June 1985 PRE-STORM Squall Line: Initiation
478 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW VOLUME 125 The Evolution of the 10±11 June 1985 PRE-STORM Squall Line: Initiation, Development of Rear In¯ow, and Dissipation SCOTT A. BRAUN AND ROBERT A. HOUZE JR. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Manuscript received 12 December 1995, in ®nal form 12 August 1996) ABSTRACT Mesoscale analysis of surface observations and mesoscale modeling results show that the 10±11 June squall line, contrary to prior studies, did not form entirely ahead of a cold front. The primary environmental features leading to the initiation and organization of the squall line were a low-level trough in the lee of the Rocky Mountains and a midlevel short-wave trough. Three additional mechanisms were active: a southeastward-moving cold front formed the northern part of the line, convection along the edge of cold air from prior convection over Oklahoma and Kansas formed the central part of the line, and convection forced by convective out¯ow near the lee trough axis formed the southern portion of the line. Mesoscale model results show that the large-scale environment signi®cantly in¯uenced the mesoscale cir- culations associated with the squall line. The qualitative distribution of along-line velocities within the squall line is attributed to the larger-scale circulations associated with the lee trough and midlevel baroclinic wave. Ambient rear-to-front (RTF) ¯ow to the rear of the squall line, produced by the squall line's nearly perpendicular orientation to strong westerly ¯ow at upper levels, contributed to the exceptional strength of the rear in¯ow in this storm. -
ESSENTIALS of METEOROLOGY (7Th Ed.) GLOSSARY
ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY (7th ed.) GLOSSARY Chapter 1 Aerosols Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc.) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human (anthropogenic) sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal, produce sulfate aerosols. Air density The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it. Air density is usually expressed as g/cm3 or kg/m3. Also See Density. Air pressure The pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of (atmospheric mercury (Hg) or in hectopascals (hPa). pressure) Atmosphere The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet's gravitational attraction. The earth's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Carbon dioxide (CO2) A colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.039 percent (390 ppm) in a volume of air near sea level. It is a selective absorber of infrared radiation and, consequently, it is important in the earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Solid CO2 is called dry ice. Climate The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. Front The transition zone between two distinct air masses. Hurricane A tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr). Ionosphere An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist. Lapse rate The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.) Mesosphere The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. -
'Service Assessment': Hurricane Isabel September 18-19, 2003
Service Assessment Hurricane Isabel September 18-19, 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Silver Spring, Maryland Cover: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Rapid Response Team imagery, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 1555 UTC September 18, 2003. Service Assessment Hurricane Isabel September 18-19, 2003 May 2004 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Donald L. Evans, Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (retired), Administrator National Weather Service Brigadier General David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Retired), Assistant Administrator Preface The hurricane is one of the most potentially devastating natural forces. The potential for disaster increases as more people move to coastlines and barrier islands. To meet the mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) - provide weather, hydrologic, and climatic forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property, enhancement of the national economy, and provide a national weather information database - the NWS has implemented an aggressive hurricane preparedness program. Hurricane Isabel made landfall in eastern North Carolina around midday Thursday, September 18, 2003, as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (Appendix A). Although damage estimates are still being tabulated as of this writing, Isabel is considered one of the most significant tropical cyclones to affect northeast North Carolina, east central Virginia, and the Chesapeake and Potomac regions since Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane of 1933. Hurricane Isabel will be remembered not for its intensity, but for its size and the impact it had on the residents of one of the most populated regions of the United States. -
Observations of Turbulent Kinematics and Lightning-Inferred Electric Potential Structure in a Severe Squall Line Eric C
XV International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity, 15-20 June 2014, Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.A. Observations of turbulent kinematics and lightning-inferred electric potential structure in a severe squall line Eric C. Bruning1∗ Vicente Salinas1, Vanna Sullivan1, Scott Gunter1, and John Schroeder1 1Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A. ABSTRACT: Recent work by Bruning and MacGorman [2013] proposed an energetic measure of lightning flashes based on flash size (area) and rate. The resulting energy spectrum as a function of flash size had a consistent shape, and had an apparently linear scaling regime at the same length scales where a turbulent thunderstorm’s inertial subrange would be expected. They hypothesized that electrical potential was organized by the (possibly turbulent) character of the convective flow. Since then, flash extent has also been applied to the energy available for NOx production by lightning, and the geometric, space-filling character of the lightning channel itself. A severe squall line that moved across West Texas on the night of 5 June 2013 caused extensive dam- age, including much that was consistent with 80-90 mph winds in the vicinity of Lubbock. The storm was samplednear Pep, TX during the onset of severe winds by two Ka-band mobile radars operated by Texas Tech University (TTU), as well as the West Texas Lightning Mapping Array (WTLMA). In-situ observa- tions by TTU StickNet probes verified the severe winds. Vertical scans with the radars were taken ahead of the storm and continuously for one hour behind the line in conditions consistent with the conceptual model for the transition zone of a mesoscale convective system. -
Quasi-Linear Convective System Mesovorticies and Tornadoes
Quasi-Linear Convective System Mesovorticies and Tornadoes RYAN ALLISS & MATT HOFFMAN Meteorology Program, Iowa State University, Ames ABSTRACT Quasi-linear convective system are a common occurance in the spring and summer months and with them come the risk of them producing mesovorticies. These mesovorticies are small and compact and can cause isolated and concentrated areas of damage from high winds and in some cases can produce weak tornadoes. This paper analyzes how and when QLCSs and mesovorticies develop, how to identify a mesovortex using various tools from radar, and finally a look at how common is it for a QLCS to put spawn a tornado across the United States. 1. Introduction Quasi-linear convective systems, or squall lines, are a line of thunderstorms that are Supercells have always been most feared oriented linearly. Sometimes, these lines of when it has come to tornadoes and as they intense thunderstorms can feature a bowed out should be. However, quasi-linear convective systems can also cause tornadoes. Squall lines and bow echoes are also known to cause tornadoes as well as other forms of severe weather such as high winds, hail, and microbursts. These are powerful systems that can travel for hours and hundreds of miles, but the worst part is tornadoes in QLCSs are hard to forecast and can be highly dangerous for the public. Often times the supercells within the QLCS cause tornadoes to become rain wrapped, which are tornadoes that are surrounded by rain making them hard to see with the naked eye. This is why understanding QLCSs and how they can produce mesovortices that are capable of producing tornadoes is essential to forecasting these tornadic events that can be highly dangerous. -
Regional Science Centers and Related Labs and Field Stations
NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) In Your Neighborhood Facilities National Support and Specialized Centers Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU) – Anchorage, AK AAWU provides en-route aviation weather forecasts and warnings for all of Alaska. The Unit also includes the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center for the North Pacific, which provides worldwide warnings and advisories to aviation interests regarding volcanic ash hazards. Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) – Honolulu, HI CPHC issues tropical cyclone warnings, watches, advisories, discussions, and statements for all tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific. Hydrologic Information Center (HIC) – Silver Spring, MD HIC provides real-time updates of current hydrologic conditions, flood watches & warnings, river forecasts, droughts, and related information. NOAA’s Office of Legislative Affairs Tel: 202-482-4981 http://www.legislative.noaa.gov March 2008 1 Hydrologic Research Laboratory (HRL) – Silver Spring, MD HRL conducts studies, investigations and analyses leading to the application of new scientific and computer technologies for hydrologic forecasting and related water resources problems. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) – Camp Springs, MD NCEP gives overarching management to nine centers, which include the: • Aviation Weather Center (AWC) – Kansas City, MO: The AWC provides aviation warnings and forecasts of hazardous flight conditions at all levels within domestic and international air space. • Climate Prediction Center (CPC) – Camp Springs, MD: The CPC monitors and forecasts short-term climate fluctuations and provides information on the effects climate patterns can have on the nation. • Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) - Camp Springs, MD: The EMC develops and improves numerical weather, climate, hydrological and ocean prediction through a broad program in partnership with the research community. -
Oceanic Cyclone Analysis and Forecasting at the NCEP/Ocean Prediction Center: the Role of Observations & Progress in Medium Range Forecasting
Oceanic Cyclone Analysis and Forecasting at the NCEP/Ocean Prediction Center: The Role of Observations & Progress in Medium Range Forecasting James D Clark – National Center for Environmental Prediction, Camp Springs, MD 1. Introduction The Ocean Prediction Center’s (OPC) primary responsibility is the issuance of marine warnings, forecasts, and guidance in both text and graphical formats for maritime users over the Northern hemisphere Atlantic and Pacific marine areas extending from 20°N to 67°N for purposes of protection of life and property, safety at sea, and the enhancement of economic opportunity. In addition, these forecast products fulfill the US obligations under the World Meteorological Organization and Safety of Life at Sea Convention. A brief summary of US National Weather Service marine and coastal weather services and OPC forecast operations will be given in section two. This paper emphasizes OPC’s handling of atmospheric and oceanographic observations over the data sparse oceans from a fore - caster’s perspective, specifically, the visualization techniques utilized to rapidly determine model initialization errors, model trends, and global model differences. Examples focusing on the use of observations in the forecast and verification of extreme events will be presented in the third portion. The fourth section of this paper centers on the recent progress made in medium range forecasting at OPC, including warning criteria probabilities through the use of the NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System and ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System members. In the final part of this paper a summary with upcoming OPC science priorities will be offered. Fig. 1 OPC Atlantic 500 hPa analysis. Fig . -
Thunderstorm & Lightning
Guidelines for Preparation of Action plan - Prevention and Management of Thunderstorm & Lightning/ Squall/Dust/Hailstorm and Strong Winds 2018 National Disaster Management Authority Government of India Table of Contents Guidelines for preparation of Action Plan – Prevention and Management of Thunderstorm & Lightning / Squall /Dust / Hailstorm and Strong Winds(TLSD/HSW) Table of Contents i Foreword ii Acknowledgements iii Abbreviations iv Executive Summary v Chapters 1. Background and Status 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Impact 3 1.3 Definitions 4 2. Action Plan 6 2.1 Rationale for the Plan 6 2.2 Objectives of the Plan 6 2.3 Key Strategies 7 2.4 Steps to Develop an Action Plan 7 3 Early Warning and Communication 9 3.1 Forecast and Issue of Alerts or Warnings 9 3.2 Early Warning/Alerts: Communication and Dissemination Strategy 10 3.3 Public Awareness, Community Outreach and Information, Education and 11 Communication 3.4 Review and Evaluation of the Early Warning System 12 4 Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness Measures 13 4.1 Prevention Measures 13 4.2 Mitigation and Preparedness Measures 13 4.3 Structural Mitigation Measures 15 4.4 Action – Before, During and After 16 5 Capacity Building 18 6 Roles and Responsibilities 22 6.1 Roles and Responsibilities matrix for managing TLSD/HSW 23 7 Record and Documentation 28 Annexure 1: Do‟s and Don‟ts 29 Annexure 2: Format A to C for reporting 30 Annexure 3: States' Experiences on TLSD/HSW 33 Appendix A: List of Expert Group and Subgroups Appendix B: Contact Us i FOREWORD India, with approximately 1.32 billion people, is the second most populous country in the world.