NOUS41 KWBC 301835 PNSWSH TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 10-20...AMENDED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 240 PM EDT WED JUN 30 2010 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: AMENDED: CHANGES TO SHORT-RANGE AND EXTENDED-RANGE GLOBAL FORECAST SYSTEM /GFS/-BASED MOS BUFR PRODUCTS: POSTPONED TO AUGUST 3 2010 AMENDED TO POSTPONE EFFECTIVE DATE FOR CHANGES TO GFS-BASED MOS BUFR PRODUCTS FROM JULY 13 2010 TO AUGUST 3 2010. ATTENTION USERS OF THE MODEL OUTPUT STATISTICS /MOS/ GUIDANCE: ON TUESDAY AUGUST 3 2010...BEGINNING WITH THE 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/ RUN...THE NWS METEOROLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY /MDL/ WILL MAKE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES TO THE SHORT-RANGE /MAV/ AND EXTENDED-RANGE /MEX/ MOS BUFR PRODUCTS: 1. TOTAL SKY COVER WILL BE REPLACED WITH OPAQUE SKY COVER IN THE MAV BUFR MESSAGE. THIS CHANGE WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2007 FOR ALL PUBLIC MOS PRODUCTS EXCEPT FOR THE BUFR MESSAGES. REFER TO TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE /TIN/ 07-34 TRANSMITTED ON MAY 8 2007 FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE GFS- BASED MOS TOTAL SKY COVER GUIDANCE WITH OPAQUE SKY COVER. THIS CHANGE TO THE MAV BUFR MESSAGE WILL BE TRANSPARENT TO USERS WITH NO CHANGES TO DESCRIPTORS IN THE BUFR FILE. 2. FORECASTS FOR PROJECTIONS OUT TO 264 HOURS /DAY 11/ WILL BE ADDED TO THE MEX MOS BUFR MESSAGE FOR THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS: 2-METER TEMPERATURE 2-METER DEWPOINT TEMPERATURE DAYTIME MAXIMUM AND NIGHTTIME MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WIND SPEED WIND DIRECTION PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION /12 HOUR/ 3. GUIDANCE FOR OPAQUE SKY COVER AND CONDITIONAL PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE ADDED TO THE MEX MOS BUFR MESSAGE FOR PROJECTIONS EVERY 3 HOURS OUT TO 192 HOURS. PREVIOUSLY THE PRECIPITATION TYPE GUIDANCE IN THE MEX BUFR MESSAGE WAS POPULATED WITH MISSING VALUES. EFFECTIVE ON AUGUST 3 2010...CONDITIONAL PROBABILITIES OF FREEZING...FROZEN AND LIQUID PRECIPITATION TYPES WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE IN THE MEX BUFR MESSAGE OUT TO 192 HOURS. THE ADDITION OF OPAQUE SKY COVER AND PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL REQUIRE CHANGES TO DESCRIPTORS IN THE MEX BUFR FILE. SEE TABLE 1 FOR A LISTING OF THE DESCRIPTORS THAT WILL BE CHANGED. 4. FORECASTS OF 24-H SNOWFALL AMOUNT WILL BE ADDED TO THE MEX BUFR MESSAGE FOR THE 150- AND 162-H PROJECTIONS. THIS CHANGE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING 24-H SNOWFALL VARIABLES: PROB SNOW AMOUNT > TRACE PROB SNOW AMOUNT >= 2 INCHES PROB SNOW AMOUNT >= 4 INCHES PROB SNOW AMOUNT >= 6 INCHES PROB SNOW AMOUNT >= 8 INCHES CATEGORICAL SNOWFALL AMOUNT THE COMMUNICATION IDENTIFIERS AFFECTED BY THE ABOVE CHANGES ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 2. ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE GFS-BASED MOS BUFR PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWERCASE/: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MDL/SYNOP/BUFR.PHP TABLE 1. DESCRIPTORS TO BE CHANGED IN THE MEX MOS BUFR MESSAGE. ELEMENT DESCRIPTOR DESCRIPTOR /OLD/ /NEW/ PROB OF CLR 0 60 181 0 60 100 PROB OF FEW 0 60 182 0 60 108 PROB OF SCT 0 60 183 0 60 109 PROB OF BKN 0 60 184 0 60 103 PROB OF OVER 0 60 186 0 60 104 CAT SKY COVER 0 60 192 0 20 11 COND PROB FRZ 0 60 172 0 60 20 COND PROB SNOW 0 60 174 0 60 21 COND PROB LIQ 0 60 176 0 60 22 COND PROB IP 0 60 173 (REMOVED - OBSOLETE) COND PROB MIX 0 60 175 (REMOVED - OBSOLETE) TABLE 2. COMMUNICATION IDENTIFIERS FOR THE MAV AND MEX MOS BUFR PRODUCTS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE CHANGES. WMO HEADING WMO HEADING REGION /SHORT RANGE/ /EXTENDED RANGE/ JSML30 KWNO JSMT30 KWNO PACIFIC REGION JSML31 KWNO JSMT31 KWNO NORTHEAST CONUS JSML32 KWNO JSMT32 KWNO SOUTHEAST CONUS JSML33 KWNO JSMT33 KWNO NORTH CENTRAL CONUS JSML34 KWNO JSMT34 KWNO SOUTH CENTRAL CONUS JSML35 KWNO JSMT35 KWNO ROCKY MOUNTAIN CONUS JSML36 KWNO JSMT36 KWNO WEST COAST CONUS JSML37 KWNO JSMT37 KWNO ALASKA JSML38 KWNO WESTERN PACIFIC ISLANDS FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CHANGES TO THE GFS-BASED MOS BUFR PRODUCTS...PLEASE CONTACT: JOSEPH MALONEY MDL/SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 301-713-0024 EXT 151 JOSEPH.MALONEY@NOAA.GOV LINKS TO THE MOS PRODUCTS...ALONG WITH DESCRIPTIONS...CAN BE FOUND AT /USE LOWERCASE/: HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/MDL/SYNOP NWS NATIONAL TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES ARE ONLINE AT /USE LOWERCASE/: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM $$ NNNN