What models are in common use (operational)?
Worldwide, there are a couple of dozen computer forecast models being used. In the United States, while there are over a dozen models currently operational, about half that number are in common use, each putting out different products. This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are some of them: global: • The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) itself has half a dozen different models. Here’s one current plot. (In the U.S., ECMWF refers to their 40 km grid, medium-range, global product.) • In the U.S., the UKMET usually refers to the United Kingdom Meteorological Office 40 km, 6 day, global product of their configurable Unified Model (UM), which goes down to 4 km resolution for just the UK itself. • NOAA’s GFS, the Global Forecast System, replaced the AVN in 2002, which itself absorbed the MRF (Medium Range Forecast). The GFS is a 35 to 70 km resolution, medium-range, global model. Because all output from its various products is freely available over the Int
