NOUS41 KWBC 281520
PNSWSH 

Technical Implementation Notice 12-09 
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
1020 AM EST Tue FEB 28 2012

To:       Subscribers:
          -Family of Services
          -NOAA Weather Wire Service
          -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
          -NOAAPORT
          -Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

From:     Tim McClung
          Science Plans Branch Chief
          Office of Science and Technology

Subject:  Addition of Experimental 2.5-km GFS-based
          Gridded MOS Guidance for CONUS

Effective immediately, NWS is producing experimental Global 
Forecast System (GFS)-based gridded MOS guidance for the CONUS 
at 2.5-km resolution. These products are now available on the 
NWS FTP server in GRIB2 format. GRIB2 file names for each 
gridded MOS element are listed in Table 1 below.  On a future 
date to be announced, these products will be disseminated across 
the Satellite Broadcast Network (SBN) and NOAAPORT.

These gridded MOS products contain guidance on a 2.5 km Lambert 
Conformal grid covering the same expanse as the National Digital 
Forecast Database (NDFD) CONUS grid. Grids are being generated 
from the 0000 and 1200 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) model 
runs at projections of 1 to 7 days in advance. Guidance is 
available for the following elements:

  Daytime Maximum and Nighttime Minimum Temperature
  2-Meter Temperature
  2-Meter Dewpoint Temperature
  Relative Humidity
  Wind Direction
  Wind Speed
  Wind Gusts
  Probability of Precipitation /6-h and 12-h/
  Probability of a Thunderstorm /3-, 6-, and 12-h/
  Quantitative Precipitation Amount /6-h and 12-h/
  Total Sky Cover
  24-h Snowfall Amount  

On a date to be announced, NWS will replace the 2.5-km gridded 
MOS probability of precipitation (PoP) and quantitative 
precipitation forecasts (QPF) with an enhanced-resolution PoP 
and QPF product (HRMOS QPF). The improved QPF forecasts are 
developed from archived stage IV national mosaic precipitation 
data and incorporate high resolution topographic and 
climatological interactive predictors.  The following link 
provides details about the enhanced-resolution PoP and QPF:

     http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/hrqpf/

A Web page providing more information regarding grid 
specifications, GRIB2 encoding and elements for which guidance 
is available is referenced below.

These GRIB2 products are now available in the experimental area 
of the National Digital Guidance Database (NDGD) on the NWS ftp 
server.  Forecast guidance for days 1 through 3 is available at:

ftp://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/SL.us008001/ST.expr/DF.gr2/DC.ndgd/GT.m
osgfs/AR.conus/VP.001-003/

Forecast guidance for days 4 through 7 are available at:

ftp://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/SL.us008001/ST.expr/DF.gr2/DC.ndgd/GT.m
osgfs/AR.conus/VP.004-007/

Table 1: GRIB2 file names for each experimental 2.5-km GFS-based 
Gridded MOS element

     FILE NAME       ELEMENT

     ds.sky.bin      Total Sky Cover
     ds.wdir.bin     Wind Direction
     ds.wspd.bin     Wind Speed
     ds.pop12.bin    12-Hour Probability of
                     Precipitation
     ds.temp.bin     2-Meter Temperature
     ds.td.bin       2-Meter Dew Point Temperature
     ds.maxt.bin     Daytime Maximum Temperature
     ds.mint.bin     Nighttime Minimum Temperature
     ds.qpf06.bin    6-h Quantitative Precipitation
                     Amount
     ds.pts06.bin    6-h Probability of a Thunderstorm
     ds.rhm.bin      Relative Humidity
     ds.snw24.bin    24-h Snowfall Amount
     ds.pop06.bin    6-Hour Probability of
                     Precipitation
     ds.gpf12.bin    12-h Quantitative Precipitation
                     Amount
     ds.wgust.bin    Wind Gusts
     ds.pts12.bin    12-h Probability of a
                     Thunderstorm
     ds.pts03.bin    3-h Probability of a Thunderstorm

The experimental 2.5 km products are an addition to the gridded 
MOS suite, not a replacement for the current 5 km gridded MOS 
guidance. Customers who use the 5 km guidance over the CONUS can 
continue to use these products without disruption until all 
customers and systems are able to use the higher resolution 
guidance.

A Web page outlining the gridded MOS guidance and the FTP server 
structure can be found at:

  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/synop/gmos.php 

For questions regarding the experimental 2.5 km gridded MOS 
guidance for the CONUS please contact:

  Kathryn Gilbert
  MDL/Silver Spring, Maryland
  301-713-0023, Ext. 130
  Kathryn.Gilbert@noaa.gov

Links to the gridded MOS products and descriptions are at:

  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/synop 

NWS national TINs are online at:  
 
  http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm 

$$