Public Information Statement Issued by NWS National HQ
000
NOUS41 KWBC 282100
PNSWSH
Service Change Notice 24-34
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
500 PM EDT Thu Mar 28 2024
To: Subscribers:
-NOAA Weather Wire Service
-Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
-NOAAPort
Other NWS Partners and NWS Employees
From: William H. Burnett
Acting Director, NWS Office of Observations
Subject: NOAA-21 NUCAPS Soundings to be Added to the Satellite
Broadcast
Network (SBN) on Near April 29, 2024
On or near April 29, 2024, NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric
Processing
System (NUCAPS) soundings from the NOAA-21 polar-orbiting satellite
will
be added to the Satellite Broadcast Network (SBN).
NUCAPS estimates atmospheric temperature and moisture at 100 pressure
levels between the earth`s surface and the upper atmosphere, about an
hour
after local solar noon in each location. NOAA-21 NUCAPS soundings
provide
insight into the early-afternoon pre-convective environment,
complementing
the mid-morning soundings of the Metop-C satellite.
Each NOAA-21 NUCAPS file (granule) spans about 30 seconds of time
(about
200 granules per orbit) and samples an area roughly 2100km by 200km
with a
grid of 30 x 4 = 120 atmospheric soundings. Each of these soundings
estimates the following atmospheric parameters at 100 vertical
levels:
Parameter Units
—-------------------------- —----
Pressure mb
Air temperature K
Liquid water mixing ratio g/g
Water vapor mixing ratio g/g
Ozone mixing ratio ppb
Sulfur dioxide mixing ratio ppb
NOAA-21 NUCAPS soundings on SBN will amount to 1,800 files/day and
0.38
GB/day. They will be broadcast via the SBN NMC3 channel (Port 1205,
PID
105) using the following WMO header codes:
IUTN11 KNESIUTN14 KNESIUTN17 KNES
IUTN12 KNESIUTN15 KNESIUTN18 KNES
IUTN13 KNESIUTN16 KNESIUTN19 KNES
These codes are also used for NOAA-21 NUCAPS. They correspond to the
geographic regions previously detailed in SCN19-59
(https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf2/scn19-
59nucaps_soundings.pdf)
Additional details on NUCAPS soundings from NOAA-21 and other
satellites
are available on the NOAA VLab at
https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/towr-s/jpss-
nucaps.
Critical weather, enhanced caution, or other factors may affect the
timing
of this change.
For questions pertaining to these changes, please contact:
NOAA/NWS Office of Observations
Silver Spring, MD
Email: NWS-OBS-Satellites@noaa.gov
or
AWIPS Network Control Facility (NCF) Help Desk
NOAA/NWS Office of Central Processing
Silver Spring, MD
Phone: 888-808-8624
For questions regarding the content or distribution of the products
listed
here please contact:
Joseph V. Fiore Jr.
NOAA/NESDIS/OSPO/Satellite Products and Services Division
College Park, MD
email: joseph.fiore@noaa.gov
Google Voice: 240-622-5819
National Service Change Notices are online at:
https://www.weather.gov/notification/