Introduction
The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the
National Hurricane Center (NHC) use a variety of Numerical
Weather Prediction (NWP) products and objective techniques for
guidance in the tropical cyclone (TC) warning process.
Multiple techniques are required, because each technique has
particular strengths and weaknesses which vary by basin,
numerical model initialization, time of year, synoptic
situation and forecast period (JTWC, 1991). Forecasters at
sea use global and regional model output on a daily basis and
may see reference to objective guidance in TC warnings and
prognostic discussions. This chapter provides a brief
overview of modeling terminology and objective guidance.
Background information on numerical modeling and definitions
are given in Appendix A.
Appendix B provides brief comparison
tables for 1993 global numerical weather prediction systems at
the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts
(ECMWF), U.S. Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography
Center (FNMOC), U.S. National Meteorological Center (NMC), and
Japan Meteorology Agency (JMA).
Appendix C has a general review of JTWC and NHC TC motion
forecast aids.
Chapter 5