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RUC Information
The Rapid Update Cycle (RUC)
A NOAA/
NCEP
operational weather prediction system
comprised primarily of
- A numerical forecast model and
- An analysis/assimilation system to
initialize that model.
-
Developed to serve users needing frequently updated
short-range weather forecasts, including
those in the US aviation community and
US severe weather forecasting community.
- The
Rapid Refresh
is the next-generation version of
the 1-h cycle system, planned to replace the current RUC by late 2009.
The Rapid Refresh (RR) will
use a version of the WRF model and the Gridpoint Statistical
Interpolation (GSI) analysis largely developed at NCEP/EMC.
NOAA/ESRL/GSD is currently running
versions of the WRF initialized with RUC analyses
(see index on left) and initial GSI cycling toward Rapid Refresh testing.
News items
-
8 Jan 2008.
RUC crisis change
for improved cloud/vis assimilation,
wind gust, precip type.
Post on RUC forum
,
PDF description with stats
Implemented 12z 8 Jan 2008
-
11 Dec 2007.
RUC/RR summary
Powerpoint/pdf presented at NCEP
Production Suite Review meeting. This has
the best up-to-date info on the RUC upgrade
(radar refl assimilation, TAMDAR, physics)
planned for next spring, and for progress/plans
on the Rapid Refresh.
-
4 Dec 2007.
13km/hourly RUC grids became available
via NOAAPort and Family of Services.
See
RUC Forum post
-
1 Nov 2007.
Next RUC upgrade now in NCEP testing,
including hourly radar reflectivity assimilation.
-
Reflectivity real-time products
available for devRUC13 and backup RUC13
runs since April 2007.
-
4 April 07
- 3-d radar reflectivity data assimilated hourly in experimental devRUC13
since Feb07 and now in backup RUC13
as now.
An example of
the effect of radar reflectivity assimilation in
available
here
-
13km dev RUC
now runs out to 48h every 3h, out to 72h every 12h - Dec06
-
RUC forum
-
11 July 2006 --
13km RUC change package - Implementation at NCEP
-- analysis, model,
and post-processing changes.
Details available
here.
- 28 June 2005 --
13km RUC operational implementation at NCEP --
-- Higher resolution, additional observation types
assimilated (GPS PW, METAR cloud/vis, RASS, improved use of GOES cloud-top),
improved moisture analysis,
improved cloud/precip physics.
-
RUC journal articles available in Feb 2004 Monthly Weather Review.
Mesoscale Weather Prediction with the RUC Hybrid Isentropic Terrain-Following Coordinate Model.
pages 473-494.
[GSD PDF version]
An Hourly Assimilation-Forecast Cycle: The RUC. pages 495-518.
[GSD PDF version]
The key features of the RUC include:
- high-frequency (every 1h) short-range weather model forecasts (out to 12+ h) in support of aviation and
other mesoscale weather forecast users
-
high-frequency (every 1h) 3-d objective analyses
over much of North America,
including the contiguous United States and
adjacent areas of Canada and Mexico, assimilating the following types of observations:
- Commercial aircraft
- Profiler related
- Wind profilers (404 and boundary-layer 915 MHz)
- VAD (velocity-azimuth display) winds from NWS WSR-88D radars
- RASS (Radio Acoustic Sounding System)
- Rawinsondes and special dropwinsondes
- Surface
- Surface reporting stations and buoys (including cloud, visibility, current weather)
- Mesonet
- Satellite
- GPS total precipitable water estimates
- GOES cloud-top data (pressure and temperature)
- GOES total precipitable water estimates
- SSM/I total precipitable water estimates
- GOES high-density visible and IR cloud drift winds
- Experimental
- Radar reflectivity (3-d) - experimental
- Lightning - experimental
- Regional aircraft data with moisture (TAMDAR)
-
a
hybrid isentropic-sigma
vertical coordinate.
Other RUC Information, Real-Time and Archived Data
Real-time RUC gridded data available from
NCEP ftp site including 13km output resolution
grids available in GRIB2 since summer 2007, see
ftp://ftpprd.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/data/nccf/com/ruc/prod/
More info - NOAA/NCEP - Real-time operational RUC
grids
NOAA/NWS/TG server
NOAA/NWS/TG (Telecommunications Gateway) - real-time RUC
grids
Archived RUC gridded data available from:
Background on RUC data from DOE/ARM Program
DOE/ARM web page on RUC gridded data
NOMADS/NCDC/NOAA
NASA Langley archived RUC soundings
NCAR/UCAR - Access to archived GSD/FSL RUC/MAPS data
for UCAR registered users (use search for 'MAPS')
Information on gridded data
RUC grid files - Information on contents
RUC13 GRIB table (see RUC20 table for GRIB document links)
RUC20 GRIB table with GRIB document links
RUC analysis obs and background error specifications
Model fixed fields - topography, etc.
Download RUC fixed fields (ASCII) and software
- 13km topography, mini-topography,
lat/lon, land-use, roughness length, soil type
- 5km RTMA topography (used for RUC-RTMA downscaling)
- 20-km, 40-km and 60-km
topography or latitude/longitude
- 20km land-use, look-up table for roughness length, albedo, emissivity
- software to convert from RUC native
coordinates/variables to isobaric coordinates/variables
13-km RUC terrain elevation map
20-km RUC (pre June05) topography map
NCEP daily sea-surface temperature file currently used in RUC
Lightning coverage - Env Canada
Snow/ice data from RUC, NOAA-NESDIS, NOAA-NOHRSC, Environment Canada
Other sites to obtain real-time RUC-based weather graphics
-- can overlay different fields in a Java script
Comprehensive RUC
Graphics from NCAR/RAP/Greg Thompson, including
cloud depictions
Aviation grids
of winds, icing, and turbulence using RUC (0-12h)
from ADDS at Aviation Weather Center
RUC upper-air maps - 5-day loops from Penn State
RUC Meteograms/soundings/maps from NOAA Air Resources Lab
Soaring forecasts using experimental RUC data from BLIPMAP - Jack Glendening
RUC products from College of Dupage
Storm Prediction Center experimental
fire weather product using RUC data - look at bottom of page
RUC
Graphics from Unisys
Univ.
Utah RUC analyses and forecasts
NOAA Privacy Policy
Prepared by Stan Benjamin and Bill Moninger, images by Kevin Brundage,
Stan.Benjamin@noaa.gov,
303-497-6387
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