- CAM daily run schedules
- MPAS run configuration
Each CAM displayed on this site is run on a separate schedule. As of 4 Sep 2025, the NSSL is currently running CAMs initialized at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC daily. The 3.5-km and 3-km MPAS CAMs provided by the GSL are run daily at 0000 and 1200 UTC out to 84 hrs. The 1.25-km MPAS CAM provided by GSL is run daily at 0000 and 1200 UTC out to 24 hrs. The HRRR and RRFS CAMs provided by the NCEP/EMC are run daily at 0000 and 1200 UTC out to 48 (beginning 12/01/22) and 84 hrs, respectively.
| Model | 0000/0600/1200/1800 UTC or 0000/1200 UTC run |
|---|---|
| HRRR | Available ~0130/1330 UTC |
| MPAS-HTPO-NSSL | Available ~0330/0830/1530/2130 UTC |
| MPAS-RN-NSSL | Available ~0530/1730 UTC |
| MPAS-RN3-NSSL | Available ~0530/1730 UTC |
| MPAS-RRFSA-GSL | Available ~0800/2000 UTC |
| MPASLR-RRFSA-GSL | Available ~0900/2100 UTC |
| MPAS-GSL-1.25km | Available ~0630/1930 UTC |
| RRFS-EMC | Available ~0230/1430 UTC |
| WRF-NSSL | Available ~0400 UTC |
NOTE: after you switch models, the most recent run for the new model may not be displayed by default. The default behavior upon switching models is to use the same date and run you were viewing for the previous model, if available (or the closest run, if not available). If you wish to view the most recent run of the new model, check the calendar and the date dropdown menu to verify which runs are available.
The Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) runs began at the NSSL in early January 2023.
MPAS runs at the Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) began in the fall of 2024.
The MPAS, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) uses an unstructured centroidal Voronoi mesh and C-grid staggering of the state variables coupled with a subset of the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) model atmospheric physics. More information on the MPAS can be found here.
The MPAS-NSSL runs now utilize GSL's MPAS codebase to facilitate ongoing research between NSSL, GSL, and NCAR.
Differences between the MPAS-NSSL runs are found in their initialization and microphysics (MP) schemes. The MPAS-HTPO-NSSL run is initialized from the 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC operational HRRR forecast and uses the Thompson-Eidhammer Microphysics Parameterization for Operations (TEMPO) MP. The MPAS-RN-NSSL and MPAS-RN3-NSSL runs are initalized from the experimental 0000 and 1200 UTC deterministic Rapid Refresh Forecast System (RRFS) run provided by EMC and use the NSSL 2-Moment and NSSL 3-Moment MP, respectively.
The MPAS-RRFSA-GSL and MPASLR-RRFSA-GSL runs are also initialized from the RRFS and use the TEMPO MP. The MPASLR-RRFSA-GSL has an identical configuration to the MPAS-RRFSA-GSL run, but with 3.5-km cell spacing to permit testing of resolution sensitivities.
The MPAS-GSL 1.25-km run uses the same configuration as the other GSL MPAS runs, but with 1.25-km cell spacing to examine the efficacy of the MPAS at higher resolution.
The MPAS runs at the NSSL and GSL are a collaborative project between those entities and the NCAR. Runs are completed on the NOAA Jet HPC system.
Data processed and plotted at NOAA NSSL
MPAS-NSSL and WRF questions: adam.clark@noaa.gov
Website questions: kent.knopfmeier@noaa.gov