IS THERE A 20KM AND A 40KM ETA RUN?
THERE IS NO 20km Eta RUN NOR IS THERE A 40km Eta RUN! There is some major confusion here about model runs and output grids which I hope is not rampant among all the regions. The following facts, I hope, will begin to clear up some of it. I know the way these data are identified on the OSO SERVER is confusing, so we have to be very careful. I’m definitely biased, but I don’t agree that the value of the Eta forecasts diminishes so rapidly with forecast range as to be useless beyond 18 hours. For example, we do not see a rapid drop off in even our QPF scores. Similarly, Western Region has been quite pleased with the Eta and have not experienced significant drops in value out to 33 hours. Every performance measure we have indicates that the Eta is our best model, and dropping its output would seem to be shortsighted. The #212 (the 40km OUTPUT grid) fields are adequate in representing the 32km Meso Eta forecast fields on isobaric levels, but the surface and precip fields are desirable on #2
