National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

HiRes WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model graphics are now being locally produced.  The WRF is a next generation mesoscale numerical weather prediction system and provides the latest advances in physics, numerics, and data assimilation as contributed by the research community.

The model is run twice a day (00/12Z) out through 36 hours with output available around +6 hours.  Two variants are provided as noted in the image below including a static 12 km² outer Great Lakes gridded domain and a floating 4 km² inner gridded domain centered over the WFO Northern Indiana county warning area.  The inner domain may shift at times as dictated by the change in seasons or percieved high threat weather potential.  This model has shown considerable short term skill in the delineation and intensity of mesoscale forced precipitation bands and should prove beneficial this winter with lake effect snow.