Operational Ensemble Prediction at the National Meteorological Center: Practical Aspects

Abstract

Abstract On 7 December 1992 NMC began operational ensemble prediction. The ensemble configuration provides 14 independent forecasts every day, verifying on days 1 through 10. The ensemble members are generated through a combination of time lagging [Lagged-Average Forecasting] and a new method, Breeding of Growing Modes (Toth and Kalnay). In adopting the ensemble approach, NMC explicitly recognizes that forecasts are stochastic, not deterministic, in nature. There is no single solution, only an array of possibilities, and forecast ensembles provide a rational basis for assessing the range and likelihood of alternative scenarios. Given the near saturation of computer resources at NMC, implementation of ensemble prediction required a trade-off between model resolution and multiple runs. Before 7 December 1992, NMC was producing a single global forecast through 10 days with the highest-resolution (T126) version possible of its medium-range forecast model. Now, based an experiments that showed no adverse impac...