About the Weather Research & Forecasting Model
The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is a next-generation
mesocale numerical weather prediction system designed to serve
both
operational forecasting and atmospheric research needs.
It features multiple dynamical cores, a 3-dimensional variational
(3DVAR)
data assimilation system, and a software architecture allowing
for computational parallelism and system extensibility.
WRF is suitable for a broad spectrum of applications across
scales
ranging from meters to thousands of kilometers.
The effort to develop WRF has been a collaborative
partnership, principally among the National Center for Atmospheric
Research
(NCAR),
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the National
Centers for
Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the Forecast Systems Laboratory
(FSL),
the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), the Naval Research Laboratory,
Oklahoma University,
and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). WRF allows researchers
the ability to conduct simulations reflecting either real data
or idealized
configurations. WRF provides operational forecasting a model
that is flexible and
efficient computationally, while offering the advances in physics,
numerics, and data
assimilation contributed by the research community.
WRF has a rapidly growing community of users, and workshops
and tutorials
are held each year at NCAR. WRF is currently in operational use at NCEP.
This site provides information on the WRF effort and its organization,
references to projects and forecasting involving WRF, and links
to the WRF users' page, real-time applications, and WRF-related
events.
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