Historical List of Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit (JNWPU) / National Meteorological Center (NMC) / National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Numerical Analysis and Prediction Systems (1955-present)

NOTE: In compiling this list, there has been no intent to include the many changes to individual models that have occurred through the years; e.g. changes to numerics, physical processes, etc, as well as the multitude of changes that have occurred in producing initial analyses for the numerical models. Here, the intent is to show, in a chronological sense, implementations of distinctively new operational models and, in some instances, dates when forecast length or horizontal/vertical resolution has been increased to satisfy operational requirements. There is an attempt to record dates when models went out of service, generally occurring when a new model was implemented. For more details see the references listed below. Additional information regarding the 'early' years may be found in NMC Office Note 72, by Shuman (1972), entitled 'The Research and Development Program at the National Meteorological Center'.

Listed below the table legend are all numerical analysis and weather/ocean prediction systems going back to the formation of the the JNWPU in 1955. Separate tables are available for Global, Regional/Mesoscale, Ocean/Marine, and Hurricane systems.

Dedication: This page is dedicated to its original creator, Dr. Kenneth Campana (1941-2017), long-time employee of EMC's Global Modeling Branch

More Model Table Legend

Historical List of JNWPU / NMC / NCEP Numerical Analysis and Prediction Systems (1955-present)

Contact the EMC Webmaster (emc.webmaster@noaa.gov) for information or questions about these tables.

Some NCEP Production Suite System Operational Implementation Logs (maintained by EMC/NCO):

• NCEP Central Operations List of Production Suite changes since 2006

• Global Modeling Systems

  • MRF/AVN/GFS Implementation List from (1980 - present)   Or summary table at  GFS main page (summary table)

  • GEFS Implementation List
  • GEFS Main Page (Table listing all implementations since 1992)

• Regional/Mesoscale Analysis and Modeling Systems (1993-Present)

References

• TPB = NWS Technical Procedures Bulletins (continuation of the JNWPU Bulletins) ~1967-2003, are available from the NOAA Central Library, Silver Spring, MD, 1325 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Some are online at https://library.oarcloud.noaa.gov/#noaa_documents.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/WB/TPB/
• NCEP Office Notes are available online from the NCEP Betty Peterson Memorial Library at https://www.lib.ncep.noaa.gov/ncepofficenotes/ and from the NOAA Institutional Repository
• Bonner, W.D., 1989: NMC overview: recent progress and future plans, Weather and Forecasting, 4, 275-285. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/4/3/1520-0434_1989_004_0275_norpaf_2_0_co_2.xml">
• Kalnay, E., S.J. Lord, and R.D. McPherson, 1998: Maturity of operational numerical weather prediction: medium range, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 79, 2753-2769. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/79/12/1520-0477_1998_079_2753_moonwp_2_0_co_2.xml
• Shuman, F.G., 1972: The research and development program at the National Meteorological Center, NMC Office Note 72, 19 pages.
• Shuman, F.G., 1989: History of numerical weather prediction at the National Meteorological Center, Weather and Forecasting, 4, 286-296. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/4/3/1520-0434_1989_004_0286_honwpa_2_0_co_2.xml
• Harper, K., L. W. Uccellini, E. Kalnay, K. Carey, and L. Morone, 2007: 50th Anniversary of Operational Numerical Weather Prediction, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 88(5), 639-650. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/88/5/bams-88-5-639.xml
• DiMego, G, 2010: 50+ Years of NWP: Supercomputers and the Models that Consumed Them: A sordid tale of codependence. Presented at the Workshop on the 50th Anniversary of the University at Albany Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Department, 4 October 2010. https://vlab.noaa.gov/documents/2211171/20222432/DAES50th.computers.pdf
• Benjamin, S. G., Brown, J. M., Brunet, G., Lynch, P., Saito, K., and Schlatter, T. W. (2019). 100 Years of Progress in Forecasting and NWP Applications, Meteorological Monographs, 59, 13.1-13.67., from https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/amsm/59/1/amsmonographs-d-18-0020.1.xml

Special Thanks to current and former members of NMC/NCEP who assisted in compiling the original 1955-2005 table, in alphabetical order: Thomas Black, Lawrence Burroughs, Kenneth Campana, Geoffrey DiMego, Francis Hughes, Robert Kistler, Timothy Marchok, George VanDenberghe, Yuejian Zhu.