Acronyms and Abbreviations

A

  • ACARS - Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System
  • AEV - AFOS-Era Verification
  • AFOS - Automation of Field Operations and Services
  • AGL - above ground level
  • AI - AWIPS Identifier
  • AMSU - Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
  • ARD - AWIPS Remote Display
  • ASL - Above Sea Level
  • ASOS - Automated Surface Observing System
  • ASR - Airport Surveillance Radar
  • ATMS - Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
  • AvnFPS - Aviation Forecast Preparation System
  • AVP - AWIPS Verification Program
  • AWC - Aviation Weather Center
  • AWIPS - Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System

B

  • BGAN - Broadboand Global Area Network
  • BUFR - Binary Universal Form for the Representation of meteorological data

C

  • CAPE - Convective Available Potential Energy
  • CAVE - Common AWIPS Visualization Environment
  • CC - Correlation Coefficient
  • CCF - Coded Cities Forecast
  • CCFP - Collaborative Convective Forecast Product
  • CCL - Convective Condensation Level
  • CDP - Cell Display Parameters
  • CFC - Clutter Filter Control
  • CGI - Common Gateway Interface
  • CIN - Convective Inhibition
  • CITR - Commerce Information Technology Requirement
  • CONUS - Conterminous/Contiguous/Continental United States
  • COOP - Continuity Of Operations Planning
  • COTS - commercial off-the-shelf
  • CrIMSS - Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounder Suite
  • CrIS - Cross-track Infrared Sounder
  • CWA - County Warning Area
  • CWSU - Center Weather Service Unit
  • CZ - Composite Reflectivity

D

  • D2D - Display 2 Dimensions
  • DFM - Digital Forecast Matrix
  • DMD - Digital Mesocyclone Display
  • DMS - Data Monitoring System
  • DOC - Department of Commerce
  • DPA - Digital Precipitation Array

E

  • ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts
  • EDEX - Environmental Data EXchange
  • EMC - Environmental Modeling Center
  • EL - Equilibrium Level
  • ESA - Electronic Systems Analyst
  • ESRL - Earth System Research Laboratory

F

  • FFG - Flash Flood Guidance
  • FFFG - Forced Flash Flood Guidance
  • FFMP - Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction
  • FFMPA - Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction: Advanced
  • FFTI - Flash Flood Threat Index
  • FFW - Flash Flood Warning
  • FSL - Forecast Systems Laboratory

G

  • GFE - Graphical Forecast Editor
  • GFS - Global Forecasting Systems
  • GHG - Graphical Hazards Generator
  • GIS - Geographic Information Systems
  • GMT - Greenwich Mean Time
  • GOES - Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
  • GSD - Global System Division

H

  • HC - Hydrometeor Classification
  • HI - Hail Index
  • HM - Hydromet
  • HPC - Hydrologic Precipitation Center
  • HWR - Hourly Weather Roundup

I

  • ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization
  • IFP - Interactive Forecast Program
  • IFPS - Interactive Forecast Preparation System
  • IHFS - Integrated Hydrologic Forecast System
  • IMET - Incident Meteorologist
  • IR - infrared
  • ISS - Incident Support Specialist IST - Interactive Skew-T

J

  • JMS - Java Messaging System

K

  • KDP - Specific Differential Phase
  • KML - Keyhole Markup Language
  • KMZ - KML zipped (compressed).

L

  • LAC - Listening Area Code
  • LAMP - Localized Aviation MOS Program
  • LAN - Local Area Network
  • LAPS - Local Analysis and Prediction System
  • LARC - Local Automatic Remote Collector
  • LCL - Lifting Condensation Level
  • LDAD - Local Data Acquisition and Dissemination
  • LFC - Level of Free Convection
  • LSR - Local Storm Report

M

  • MAPS - Mesoscale Analysis and Prediction System
  • mb - millibar; pressure
  • MDCRS - Meteorological Data Collection and Receiving System
  • MDL - Meteorological Development Laboratory
  • MDP - Mesocyclone Display Parameters
  • MDPI - Microburst-Day Potential Index
  • MEF - Manually Entered Forecast
  • METAR - Meteorological Aviation Report
  • MHS - message handling system
  • ML - Melting Layer
  • MND - Mass News Dissemination
  • MOS - Model Output Statistics
  • MPC - Marine Prediction Center
  • MPE - Multisensor Precipitation Estimator
  • MRD - Message Reference Descriptor
  • MRU - Meso Rapid Update
  • MSAS - MAPS Surface Assimilation System
  • MSL - Mean Sea Level

N

  • NAM - North American Mesoscale model
  • NCEP - National Centers for Environmental Prediction
  • NCF - Network Control Facility
  • NDFD - National Digital Forecast Database
  • NE-PAC - Northeastern Pacific
  • NESDIS - National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service
  • NH - Northern Hemisphere
  • nMi - nautical miles
  • NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • NPN - NOAA Profiler Network
  • NPP - Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership
  • NUCAPS - NOAA Unique CrIS/ATMS Processing Systems
  • NWP - Numerical Weather Prediction
  • NWR - NOAA Weather Radio
  • NWS - National Weather Service
  • NWRWAVES - NOAA Weather Radio With All-Hazards VTEC Enhanced Software
  • NWSRFS - National Weather Service River Forecast System
  • NWWS - NOAA Weather Wire Service

O

  • OCP - Ocean Prediction Center
  • OH - Office of Hydrology
  • OPC - Ocean Prediction Center
  • ORPG - Open Radar Products Generator
  • OSD - One Hour Snow Depth
  • OSW - One Hour Snow Water
  • OTR - One Time Request

P

  • PID - Product Identification
  • PIL - Product Inventory List
  • PIREP - Pilot Weather Report
  • POES - Polar Operational Environmental Satellite
  • POSH - Probability of Severe Hail
  • POH - Probability of Hail
  • POP - Probability of Precipitation
  • PQPF - Probabilistic QPF
  • PRF - Pulse Repetition Frequency

Q

  • QC - quality control
  • QCMS - Quality Control and Monitoring System
  • QPE - Quantitative Precipitation Estimator
  • QPF - Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
  • QPS - Quantitative Precipitation Summary

R

  • RAOB - Radiosonde Observation
  • RAP - Rapid Refresh (Replaced RUC)
  • RCM - Radar Coded Message
  • RER - Record Report
  • RFC - River Forecast Center
  • RGB - Red, Green, Blue
  • RHI - Range Height Indicator
  • RMR - Radar Multiple Request
  • ROSA - Remote Observing System Automation
  • RPG - Radar Product Generator
  • RPS - routine product set
  • RTD - Requirements Traceability Document; Routine, Delayed
  • RTMA - Real Time Mesoscale Analysts
  • RUC - Rapid Update Cycle (Replaced by RAP)

S

  • SAFESEAS - System on AWIPS for Forecasting and Evaluation of Seas and Lakes
  • SBN - Satellite Broadcast Network
  • SCAN - System for Convection Analysis and Nowcasting
  • SCD - Supplementary Climatological Data
  • SCID - Storm Cell Identification Display
  • SCP - Satellite Cloud Product
  • SCTI - SCAN CWA Threat Index
  • SDC - State Distribution Circuit
  • SNOW - System for Nowcasting Of Winter Weather
  • SOO - Science and Operations Officer
  • SPC - Storm Prediction Center
  • SPE - Satellite Precipitation Estimate
  • SREF - Short Range Ensemble Forecast
  • SRG - Supplemental Product Generator
  • SRM - Storm Relative Motion
  • SSD - Storm-Total Snow Depth
  • SSM/I - Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
  • SSW - Storm-Total Snow Water
  • STI - Storm Track Information
  • Suomi NPP - Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership
  • SW - Spectrum Width
  • SWEAT Index - Severe Weather Threat Index
  • SWP - Severe Weather Probability

T

  • TAF - Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (international code)
  • TAFB - Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch
  • TCM - Marine/Tropical Cyclone Advisory
  • TCP - Public Tropical Cyclone Advisory
  • TDWR - Terminal Doppler Weather Radio
  • TE-PAC - Tropical Pacific
  • TMI - Text Message Intercept
  • TRU - TVS Rapid Update
  • TT - Total Totals
  • TVS - Tornado Vortex Signature
  • TWB - Transcribed Weather Broadcasts

U

  • UGC - Universal Geographic Code
  • ULR - User Selectable Layer Reflectivity
  • URL - Universal Resource Locator
  • USD - User Selectable Snow Depth
  • USW - User Selectable Snow Water
  • UTC - Coordinated Universal Time

V

  • VAD - Velocity Azimuth Display
  • VCP - volume coverage pattern
  • VIIR - Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite
  • VIL - Vertically Integrated Liquid
  • VTEC - Valid Time and Event Code
  • VWP - VAD Wind Profile

W

  • W-ATL - Western Atlantic
  • WFO - Weather Forecast Office
  • WINDEX - Wind Index
  • WMO - World Meteorological Organization
  • WSFO - Weather Service Forecast Office
  • WSO - Weather Service Office
  • WSOM - Weather Service Operations Manual
  • WSR-88D - Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler
  • WWA - Watch Warning Advisory
  • WV - water vapor

Z

  • Z - Reflectivity
  • ZDR - Differential Reflectivity