WRF-NMM Users Page

WRF Preprocessing System Features

Funding to maintain WRF-NMM at the DTC has ended and support will no longer be provided. To download HWRF, please see: www.dtcenter.org/HurrWRF/users. To download WRF-ARW, please see: www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users . To download NEMS-NMMB, please see: www.dtcenter.org/nems_nmmb/users.To download UPP, please see: www.dtcenter.org/upp/users.

Introduction

The WRF Preprocessing System (WPS) software was introduced in WRF V2.2.1, to replace the existing WRF SI. The static fields and grid domains are specified in the first program, geogrid. The external analysis and forecast data are decoded from the Grib format with the ungrib program in WPS. The final program in the WPS suite is the metgrid program, which horizontally interpolates the data from ungrib. The vertical interpolation has been moved to the real program under WRF.

Details on the WRF Preprocessing System (WPS) can be found in Chapter 3 of the WRF-NMM User's Guide.

Supported Functions

Geogrid

  • single or multiple domain configuration
  • variable resolution input for terrestrial fields: 30", 2', 5', and 10'
  • a simple format to input user-provided data sets
  • support 24 category USGS and 20 category MODIS (Noah LSM only in V3.1)
  • 4-point, 16-point, nearest grid, masked and mass conserved-interpolation
  • map projections:
    • Latitude-longitude (which can be rotated) for global and regional domains
    • Lambert-conformal
    • Mercator
    • polar stereographic
  • output is WRF I/O API conforming
  • easy way to add new data types
  • serial or MPI processing

Ungrib

  • Grib 1 and 2 support
  • write to WPS, SI, and MM5 intermediate formats
  • file name extension up to minutes and seconds
  • support of native and hybrid Grib data

Metgrid

  • multiple domain processing
  • 4-point, 16-point, nearest grid, masked and mass conserved-interpolation
  • output is WRF I/O API conforming
  • serial, or MPI processing

I/O options

  • netCDF, most common. Works with all supported graphics.
  • PHDF5
  • GriB 1
  • patch writing

Utility Programs

  • map grids
  • grib 1 and grib 2 data reader
  • intermediate file reader
  • removal of data levels
  • calculation of averaged surface temp (for use in 5-layer soil model option)
  • calculation of pressure for ECMWF sigma data

Platforms it runs on

  • IBM: Power series
  • SGI: Origin 2000, Altix
  • Linux: PGI, Intel, gfortran and g95 compilers
  • Compaq: personal workstation, ES40
  • Sun (serial)
  • Apple: gfortran/intel/pgi
  • Fujitsu

WRF Domain Wizard GUI (Developed by NOAA/ESRL/GSD)

WRF Domain Wizard is a java-based graphical interface (GUI) for WPS, the successor to the WRFSI GUI. It enables users to define model domains by graphically selecting a region on an image of the Earth and choosing a map projection. The user can also define nests using the nests editor and execute the WPS programs (geogrid, ungrib, and metgrid) from within the GUI.

WRF Domain Wizard is run using Java Web Start. Java Web Start is an application-deployment technology that automatically downloads your software then launches (runs) the application.

See the WRF Domain Wizard home page to download the software and view documentation.