During 2006, Baron Advanced Meteorological Systems ran the most complex and complete set of numerical air quality prediction models (NAQPs) in the world. The forecasts were produced using two different photochemical models (MAQSIP-RT and CMAQ) to produce ozone, PM2.5, PM10, and visibility forecasts for a variety of clients, including state and local agencies, the Dept. of Energy, and broadcast television.

Forecasts were run for the conterminous US at mesoscale (45km) resolution, and for sub-conterminous windows (east of the Rockies; California) at the 15km scale. In addition, numerous "urban-regional" subwindows were run at 5km to meet client forecast requirements. Baron Advanced also participated in the TXAQS-II field program, donating model forecasts for operational use and output fields for later analysis and model intercomparison.

In this talk, we will summarize forecast performance across models, regions (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Deep South, Southern-Plains/Texas, Ohio Valley/Midwest, west coast), and pollutants, based on preliminary comparisons against observational data. Examples of visibility, agency, and broadcast use of the forecasts will be provided.