An overview of the redeveloped Localized Aviation MOS Program (LAMP) for short-range forecasting

Aviation forecasters have need of detailed short-range forecast guidance for preparing the Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF). The Meteorological Development Laboratory of NOAA's National Weather Service is redeveloping the LAMP system to address the specific needs of the aviation community and provide detailed short range guidance to be used in forecasting the TAF, as well as to provide general public forecast guidance. LAMP is a statistical system which provides forecast guidance and acts as an update for the most recent Model Output Statistics (MOS) forecast guidance. Currently, LAMP is running operationally in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) at Weather Forecast Offices, and updates the Nested Grid Model (NGM) MOS. The redeveloped LAMP system will update the Global Forecast System (GFS) MOS, and will be run centrally on supercomputers at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. In addition, the new LAMP system will run more often than the current LAMP system, will provide guidance for more stations, and will provide hourly guidance out 25 hours, which is longer than the current system provides. We expect the newly redeveloped LAMP system to be a significant improvement over the current system.

In this paper, many aspects of the new system will be discussed. An overview of the system, noting differences between the old and the new systems, will be presented. The various input data sources, and the predictors and predictands that make up the new LAMP system, will be discussed. A summary of results to date, based on the 09 UTC cycle time for the warm and cool season will be shown. Implementation considerations and challenges will be discussed. A summary of the current status of the new LAMP system, and the plans for operational dissemination, will be presented.