GFSv16.2.1

RFC 9682 - GFS v16.2.1 - On WCOSS2, update GFS package to v16.2.1. This includes fixes for two issues:

• Source code and resource configuration changes to address bufr sounding job failures.
• Script changes to address the gfs_forecast job restart issue that happened when the f1 filesystem was degraded.

Implemented July 5 2022 at 1330Z.

Supported on WCOSS2.

GFSv16.2.0

RFC 9652 - Switch operations from the WCOSS1 to WCOSS2 supercomputer. This will provide increased computational resources necessary
to continue improving numerical guidance.

The primary SCN can viewed here:

https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf2/scn22-40_operational_supercomputer_go-live_aaa.pdf

WCOSS2 go-live was June 28th 12z cycle.

Supported on WCOSS2.

GFSv16.1.8

RFC 9515 - On WCOSS1, modify ‘global_convinfo.txt’ to turn on assimilation of Meteosat-9 AMVs (Atmospheric Motion Vectors). Meteosat-9 replaces Meteosat-8 as the operational geostationary platform over the Indian Ocean on June 1. In order to maintain continuity of operations, the above file needs to be modified.

Implemented on May 31st, 2022 at 1140Z.

Supported on WCOSS-Dell.

GFSv16.1.7

RFC 9365 - On WCOSS, implement GFS v16.1.7 to update the tropical storm names for the 2022 hurricane season and implement a syndat_getjtbul code change for the JTWC tcvital information format change.

Implemented on April 19th, 2022 at 1430Z.

Supported on WCOSS-Dell.

GFSv16.1.6

RFC 9296 - On WCOSS, update the GFS to v16.1.6 to turn on the active assimilation of GeoOptics (radio occultation) data. A change is also needed in the ‘global_convinfo.txt’ file to accompany a change in the observation processing (obsproc_global.v3.4.3) for vadwnd data.

Implemented on March 31st, 2022 at 1430Z.

Supported on WCOSS-Dell.

GFSv16.1.5

RFC 8823 - On WCOSS, update GFS to v16.1.5 which includes:

• Turn on the active assimilation of Metop-C IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) data with correlated observation errors
• Update correlated observation errors for Metop-B IASI, N20 CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder), and NPP CrIS
• Put in a minimum threshold for saturation specific humidity to avoid potential minimization issues.
• Add the 2022 CO2 projection files.

Implemented on October 26 at 1430Z.

Supported on WCOSS-Dell.

GFSv16.1.4

RFC 8702 - On WCOSS, implement GFS v16.1.4. This update includes turning on the active assimilation of Spire gpsro (GPS radio occultation) data and turning off the active assimilation of GeoOptics gpsro data. In addition, this update will fix a bug in the GFS/GSI where large errors are seen in SSTs.

Implemented on September 27 at 1430Z.

GFSv16.1.3

RFC 8691 - On WCOSS, turned off IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) on Metop-A in multiple models' ‘satinfo.txt’ files. This was done because IASI on Metop-A has been significantly degraded since September 17. Since the instrument is being decommissioned next month, NCO permanently removed this instrument from assimilation.

Implemented on September 22 at 1140Z.

GFSv16.1.2.1

RFC 8521 - On WCOSS, implement obsprocv16. This upgrade primarily addresses the ability to encode BUFR format ships and C-MAN platform data into all obsproc supported networks’ dump and prepbufr files.
Networks include: gdas, gfs, rap, rtma, urma, nam, cdas, dump_monitor.
For full details, see SCN: https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf2/scn21-72_bufr_format_ships_c-man_data.pdf

Implemented August 18th ~06z.

GFSv16.1.2

Update in operations to address two issues:

RFC 8260 - On WCOSS, placed CrIS NPP channels in monitor mode for the GFS, HRRR, HWRF, and RAP models. This was done to minimize possible degraded analyses due to the CrIS NPP data anomaly/outage that began on May 21, 2021. Implemented on May 28 at 1145Z.

RFC 8313 - Upgrade the GFS to v16.1.2, which includes the following two fixes:

• an updated UPP GTG subroutine to increase
  • wind threshold to 500 m/s,
  • height threshold to 1.0E7 m, and
  • temperature threshold to 3000 K.
    Also instead of aborting, only send out “out of bound” warning messages when thresholds are exceeded.
• an updated GFS post processing script so that the GFS post-processing job will not crash and the generation of GFS pgb files will continue even if the WAFS fails.

These changes address recent failures of the GFS WAFS post-processing job which produce turbulence products, which then caused the generation of GFS pgb files and downstream products to come to a halt.

Implemented on June 22 at 1430Z.