Acronym/Abbreviation Glossary for RUC/Rapid Refresh Technical Review – 25 January 2005

3DVAR – 3-dimensional variational (analysis)
ACARS – Aircraft Communications and Reporting System
AMDAR – Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay
AP – Anomalous Propagation (for radar reflectivity)
ARW – Advanced Research WRF (model core from NCAR)
AWC – NCEP Aviation Weather Center
AWIPS – Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
AWRP – FAA Aviation Weather Research Program
BL – Boundary Layer (as in BL profiler – 915 MHz Profiler)
CAPE – Convective Available Potential Energy (severe weather parameter)
CCFP – Collaborative Convective Forecast Product
CONUS – Continental US (lower 48 states)
CSI – Critical Success Index (threat score)
CTP – Cloud-Top Pressure
CWSU – NWS Central Weather Service Units at FAA Air Traffic Centers
Dev RUC – development version of RUC run at FSL
Dev2 RUC – 2nd development version of RUC run at FSL
DFI – Digital Filter Initialization
DTC – Developmental Test Center (for WRF)
ETL – NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory
Eqts – equitable threat score
EMC – Environmental Modeling Center – NCEP
GP – gridpoint
GPS – Global Positioning System
GSI – Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (3DVAR analysis scheme from NCEP)
ITWS – Integrated Terminal Weather System (funded by FAA)
LDM – Local Data Manager
LnQ – natural logarithm of water vapor mixing ratio
LW – longwave (radiation)
MADIS – Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (from FSL)
METAR – Meteorological Aviation Report
NCEP – National Centers for Environmental Prediction
NCO – NCEP Computing Operations
NEHRTP – NOAA New England High-Resolution Temperature Program
NNM – Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale Model (model core from NCEP)
NREL – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (in Dept. of Energy)
NSSL – NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
NWP – Numerical Weather Prediction
Obs – observations
OSE – Observing System Experiment (impact of existing obs)
OSSE – Observing System Simulation Experiment (impact of simulated obs)
PBL – Planetary Boundary Layer
Pcpn, precip – precipitation
PIREP – pilot report
PDT – Product Development Team (in FAA AWRP)
pRH – pseudo-RH (moisture control variable for 3DVAR)
PW – Precipitable Water
Qv – water vapor mixing ratio
QC – Quality Control
Qc, qi, qr, qg
qs – cloud, ice, rain, graupel, snow – mixing ratios for hydrometeors
RAOB – rawinsonde observation (weather balloon data)
RASS – Radio Acoustic Sounding System
RCPF – RUC Convective Probability Forecast
RMS – Root-Mean-Square
RR – WRF-based "Rapid Refresh", replacing current RUC
RRTM – Rapid Radiative Transfer Model (longwave radiation code developed
at Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc. (AER))
RTVS – Real-Time Verification System
RUC – Rapid Update Cycle
s.d., stdev – standard deviation
SPC – NCEP Storm Prediction Center
SW – shortwave (radiation)
T – Temperature
TAMDAR – Tropospheric AMDAR
Td – Dewpoint Temperature
Thrsh – threshold (for precipitation forecast verification, usually in inches)
TKE – Turbulent Kinetic Energy
URET – User Request Evaluation Tool (FAA – air traffic management)
VAD – Velocity-Azimuth Display (vertical wind profile retrieved from radar)
Vis – visibility
Vr – radial velocity
WRF – Weather Research and Forecast (community model system)
WRFRUC – WRF model initialized with RUC analysis
Wx – Weather
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