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Lenticular clouds over Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
| Pete's Porridge | |
| A glossary of weather forecast terms and abbreviations | |
Most used are the deletions of vowels and expected consonants from words; the common directions and variants like S, SRN, SLY, SWD; and the usual suspects, like PIX for "picture(s)," HI for "high," G for "-ing"; and so forth --
EXISTG WRM UPR RDG WITH SFC HI == existing warm upper ridge with surface
high,
CDFNT DSIPTG S OF STATE == coldfront dissipating south of state,
VSB STLT LOOPS == visible satellite loops, INVSN == inversion, etc.
WFO == weather forecast office SFO == Seattle forecast office AMS == atmosphere ST == stratus, usually FROPA == frontal passage PCPN == precipitation RA == rain POPS == percentage of precipitation S/WV or S/W == short wave SAPIX == satellite pictures SCA == small craft advisory WSW == winter storm watch OCFNT == occluded front OCLN == occlusion WX == weather TCU == towering cumulus BACLIN == baroclinic PVA == Positive Vorticity Advection PROG == prognosis (forecast) PSCZ == Puget Sound Convergence Zone SHRA == shower/rain activity CWFA == current weather forecast area VC == in the vicinity QPF == Quantitative Precipitation Forecast, ie, rain 88D == (WSR-88D) Weather Surveillance Radar--1988 Doppler, a NEXRAD unit H85 or 85H == the altitude at a constant pressure of 850 millibars, which is typically about one mile up WV == water vapor, usually, but can mean wave, as in shortwave trough (which see, below)
Shortwave (Trough)--a disturbance in the middle or upper part of the atmosphere which induces upward motion ahead of it.
Triple Point--the intersection point between two boundaries (dry line, outflow boundary, cold front, etc.)
Baroclinic Zone--a region in which a temperature gradient exists on a surface of constant pressure -- not barotropic; favored areas for strengthening and weakening weather systems.
PVA (Positive Vorticity Advection)--the advection of higher values of vorticity (q.v.) into an area; often PVA is associated with upward motion (lifting) of the air.
Vorticity--In weather analysis, it usually refers to the vertical component of rotation (ie., rotation about a vertical axis) and is most used in reference to synoptic scale or mesoscale weather systems. By convention, positive values indicate cyclonic rotation.
Synoptic--relating to or displaying conditions as they exist simultaneously over a broad area.
Mesoscale--relating to meteorological phenomena approximately 2 to 200 kilometers in horizontal extent; thunderstorms and squall lines are two examples of mesoscale events.
"UPSTREAM FLOW...QUITE PROGRESSIVE IN SPITE OF DOWNSTREAM SPLIT" -- Maybe you have to be a meteorologist...
Lightly edited --TCM == Tacoma VRISL == Vancouver Island KSEA == Seattle KOLM == Olympia KHQM == Hoquiam, KAST == Astoria, KGEG == Spokane, KUIL == Quillayute THE UIL TO TTI AREA... TTI == ?? KATX == ?? KSEW == ?? BLI == BELLINGHAM
Name: Long name of station ID: 3 letter station identifier P: Station priority used in plot Lat: Station latitude (degrees, N +, S -) Lon: Station longitude (degrees, E +, W -) Elev: Station elevation (meters) WMO: 5 digit WMO identifier Also?: Other ID's for same area? All station identifiers in WA US -- Name ID P Lat Lon Elev WMO Also? SEATTLE-TACOMA SEA *1 47.45 -122.30 137 72793 KSEW SPOKANE INTL AR GEG *1* 47.63 -117.53 721 72785 KOTX YAKIMA AIR TERM YKM *2 46.57 -120.53 325 72781 BELLINGHAM INTL BLI 3 48.80 -122.53 48 99999 HOQUIAM/BOWERMA HQM 3 46.97 -123.93 4 99999 QUILLAYUTE STAT UIL *3* 47.95 -124.55 62 72797 TOLEDO-WINLOCK TDO 3 46.48 -122.80 113 99999 WENATCHEE/PANGB EAT 3 47.40 -120.20 379 99999 EPHRATA MUNICIP EPH 4 47.30 -119.52 388 99999 EVERETT/PAINE F PAE 4 47.90 -122.28 185 99999 HANFORD HMS 4 46.57 -119.60 223 72784 OLYMPIA OLM *4 46.97 -122.90 61 72792 STAMPEDE PASS(A SMP 4 47.28 -121.33 1209 99999 WALLA WALLA RGN ALW 4 46.10 -118.28 367 72788 WHIDBEY ISLAND NUW 4 48.35 -122.65 14 69023 ARLINGTON (AWOS S88 5 48.17 -122.15 42 99999 BREMERTON NTNL PWT 5 47.50 -122.75 147 99999 BURLINGTON/MT V 75S 5 48.47 -122.42 43 99999 FORT LEWIS/GRAY GRF 5* 47.08 -122.58 92 74207 FRIDAY HARBOR FHR 5 48.52 -123.02 33 99999 KELSO-LONGVEIW KLS 5 46.12 -122.90 5 99999 MOSES LAKE/GRAN MWH 5 47.20 -119.32 361 99999 OAK HARBOR AIRP 76S 5 48.25 -122.67 58 99999 PASCO/TRI-CITIE PSC 5 46.27 -119.12 124 99999 PORT ANGELES IN CLM 5 48.12 -123.50 88 99999 PULLMAN/MOSCOW PUW 5 46.75 -117.12 778 99999 RENTON MUNICIPA RNT 5 47.50 -122.22 9 99999 SEATTLE/BOEING BFI 5 47.53 -122.30 5 99999 SHELTON/SANDERS SHN 5 47.23 -123.15 85 99999 SPOKANE/FAIRCHI SKA 5 47.62 -117.65 750 99999 SPOKANE/FELTS F SFF 5 47.68 -117.32 595 99999 TACOMA NARROWS TIW 5 47.27 -122.58 89 99999 TACOMA/MC CHORD TCM 5 47.13 -122.48 98 74206 COLVILLE MUNICI CQV 7 48.55 -117.88 572 99999 ELLENSBURG/BOWE ELN 7 47.03 -120.53 538 99999 in OR US (severely edited) -- Name ID P Lat Lon Elev WMO Also? EUGENE/MAHLON S EUG *1 44.12 -123.22 114 72693 PORTLAND INTL A PDX *2 45.60 -122.60 12 72698 KPQR ASTORIA/CLATSOP AST *3 46.15 -123.88 7 72791 NORTH BEND (AWO OTH *3 43.42 -124.25 4 99999 PENDLETON MUNIC PDT *3 45.68 -118.85 456 72688 SALEM/MCNARY SLE *3* 44.92 -123.00 61 72694 KLAMATH FALLS/K LMT 4 42.15 -121.73 1247 99999 CORVALLIS MUNI CVO 5 44.50 -123.28 75 99999
These links were updated January 2007. The main list of weather sites is on the Physical sciences page, and links specific to Numerical Weather Prediction can be found on the NWP inFAQ. Links related to climate, and specifically global warming, can be found at enviro.html.
There are quite a few sources for glossaries and references:
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