What are some of the data sources used in the forecast?
The web program uses a variety of sources to create the most accurate forecast possible. Our sources include: • Terrain data: The terrain data includes digital elevation models (DEMs) taken from the United States Geological Survey. The resolution of the terrain data is 5 minutes. • Surface data: The surface data includes all of the data relating to the actual condition of the surface (i.e. soil, water, etc…). In advanced forecasts, this can be varied to see the difference that a particular surface can make on a forecast. • Radar data: The radar data comes from the 160 NEXRAD radar stations situated across the United States. This data has a high resolution and is continuously updated about every 10 minutes. • Infrared data: The infrared data comes from the infrared sensors on the GOES-11 and GOES-12 geosynchronous weather satellites. These satellites measure the amount of precipitation and reflectivity at a particular time. The data is continuously updated about every 30 minutes. • NA
