The Impact of GOES-16 Derived Products on HWRF Analyses and Forecasts

To improve hurricane forecast, high resolution observations around hurricane and its near environment are important. Observations from Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) onboard GOES-16, the first of the new generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (-R) series, provide the high spatial and temporal resolution coverage centered on the American. Using ABI measurements, scientists from Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed products such as layer precipitable water (LPW) and atmospheric motion vector (AMV). LPW products are produced hourly at three sigma layers and AMV products are produced every 15 minutes. These products provide the critical moisture and dynamical information of atmosphere for possible improving the representation of vortex and environment initialization of hurricane. In this study, the latest NOAA Development Testbed Center (DTC) released HWRF (Hurricane Weather Research Forecast) model system is used to test ABI derived products and study the impact on hurricane initialization and forecast. The LPW forward operator and other related modules are added into GSI (Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation) assimilation system, tools are also developed for converting CIMSS derived AMV data into bufr format for use in GSI. The progresses and results will be presented at the meeting. The methodologies and technical approaches learned from this study have the potential for improving the operational use of GOES-16 data in hurricane forecast.