NOAA TO COMMEMORATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF COMPUTER WEATHER MODELING
Jan.
12, 2004 — This year the meteorological community celebrates the
50th anniversary of operational numerical weather prediction, commonly
known as computer weather models. These models are the basis for all weather
and climate forecasts issued by the NOAA
National Weather Service. (Click image for larger view of
NOAA Forecast Systems Lab supercomputer. Click
here for high resolution version of this image, which is a large file.
Please credit “NOAA.”)
(Click to see the video "A
Century of Weather Services.")
Operational
numerical weather prediction began on July 1, 1954, with the establishment
of the federal government’s Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit,
which was staffed by members of the U.S. Weather Bureau (precursor to
the National Weather Service), the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The
JNWPU was a landmark collaborative approach between civilian and military
services organized to pool resources for the best new computer technology
for operational weather forecasting. The origins of the NOAA
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, the U.S. Air Force
Weather Agency and the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and
Oceanography Center can all be traced to the JNWPU.
“Whether
you are fighting a war or sending humanitarian efforts half way around
the globe, navigating transatlantic cargo ships or dressing your child
for a field trip at school, you are relying on weather forecasts based
on sophisticated atmospheric and oceanic numerical models, the work pioneered
at the JNWPU,” said John Jones, deputy director of NOAA National
Weather Service. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the local
weather forecast office in Buffalo, N.Y., circa January 1899. Click
here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit
“NOAA.”)
During the
American Meteorological Society’s annual conference in Seattle,
Wash., the NOAA National Weather Service will commemorate this historic
occasion on Monday, Jan. 12, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. PDT in booth number 601
at the Seattle Convention Center. “This is an ideal venue to celebrate
the pioneering developments in numerical weather prediction and the remarkable
improvements in forecast skill that has supported the nation's economy
and national defense over the last 50 years,” added Jones.
On
June 14-17, 2004, the AFWA, AMS, FNMOC, NOAA and the National Weather
Association will team up to host a Symposium on the 50th
Anniversary of Operational Numerical Weather Prediction. The program
will be held at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center located
in College Park, Md. The symposium will feature an historical overview
describing the early days of numerical weather prediction in the U.S.
and the steps leading up to the formation of the unit. Other speakers
will discuss how model data assimilation methods and computing have evolved
and examine the changes in how models are used in the forecast process.
Sessions will include invited papers, poster and oral presentations and
panel discussions. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the local
weather forecast office in Washington, D.C., circa 1926. Click
here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit
“NOAA.”)
The NOAA
National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts
and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NOAA National
Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and
forecast system in the world.
NOAA is dedicated
to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction
and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental
stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part
of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Relevant
Web Sites
NOAA National Weather Service
NOAA National Centers for
Environmental Prediction
Media
Contact:
Marilu
Trainor, NOAA National Weather Service
western region headquarters, (801) 541-7093 (cell)
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