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A Useful Guide to Forecast Discussion Lingo
Here's some common and uncommon words and phrases used by NWS forecasters in their forecast discussions. I believe the idea to keep one's forecast as short as possible came about from lack of space, lack of typing experience in the "early" days of teletype, and lack of time to type out the completed discussion before having to perform other pressing duties as a forecaster.
Note that this is by no means an official or complete list of any kind, but it's a good start towards deciphering forecasts released by the National Weather Service. When possible, I try to purposely capitalize the letter(s) which the shortened version stands for:
Link to examples of deciphered code from forecasts...
Common Tricks:
Y or ED or S or ES or INESS or ING (or even just NG) added to the shortened word to denote tenses
example: CLD = CLouD CLDY = CLouDY,
CLDS = CLouDS, CLDINESS = CLouDINESS,
CLDING UP THIS AFTN = CLouDING UP THIS AFTernooN
Cardinal Directions:
E = East (ERN = Eastern) or (ELY, ERLY = EasterLY)
N = North (NLY = NortherLY)
NE = NorthEast (NED = NorthEastward) or (NELY = NorthEasterLY)
NNE = NorthNorthEast (NNED = NorthNorthEastwarD)
NNW = NorthNorthWest (NNWD = NorthNorthWestwarD)
NW = NorthWest (NWD = NorthWestwarD) or (NWLY = NorthWesterLY)
S = South (SLY = SoutherLY or SLowY)
SE = SouthEast (SED = SouthEastwarD) or (SELY = SouthEasterLY)
SSE = SouthSouthEast (SSED = SouthSouthEastwarD)
SSW = SouthSouthWest (SSWD = SouthSouthWestwarD)
SW = SouthWest (SWD = SouthWestwarD) or (SWLY = SouthWesterLY
or SloWLY)
Clouds:
Cb = Cumulonimbus
Ci, CI, CIR, or CIRR = Cirrus
CiCu = CirroCumulus
CiSt = CirroStratus
Cu = Cumulus
StCu = StratoCumulus
St = Stratus
General Vocabulary:
ABV =
ABoVe
ACRS =
ACRoSs
ADJ, ADJED =
ADJust or ADJustED
ADV =
ADVecting or ADVancing
ADVSRY =
ADViSoRY
AFTN =
AFTernooN
ALNG =
ALoNG
AMS =
AtMoSphere
ANAL =
ANALysis
APRCHS, APRCHG =
ApPRoaCHeS or ApPRoaCHinG
ATTM =
At This TiMe
BCM =
BeCoMe
BDRY, BNDRY =
BounDaRY
BFR =
BeFoRe
BLDG =
BuiLDinG
BLV =
BeLieVe
CAA =
Cold Air Advection
CD =
ColD or CoulD
CHC =
CHanCe
CHG, CHNG =
CHanGe
CLD =
CoLD or CLouD or CouLD
CLR, CLRG =
CLeaR or CLeaRinG
CNSRVTV, CONSRVTV =
CoNSeRVaTiVe
CNVCTN, CVCTN, CVTN = CoNVeCTioN
CONT =
CONTinues
CPL =
CouPLe
CRDR =
CoRriDoR
CST =
CoaST or Central Standard Time
CWA =
County Warning Area (same as the entire Forecast Area)
DMGG =
DaMaGinG
DRFTG =
DRiFTinG
DSPT =
DiSsiPaTe
DSTBLZ =
De-STaBiLiZe
DVLP, DVLPG =
DeVeLoP or DeVeLoPinG
DWPTS =
DeWPoinTS
ERLR =
EaRLieR
ESP, ESPLY =
ESPecially
EXTD, EXTND, EXTDD = EXTenD
or EXTenDeD
FA =
Forecast Area
FCST =
ForeCaST
FFA =
Flash Flood Advisory
FM =
FroM
FRNT =
FRoNT
FWA =
Future Watch/Weather Area
GDNC, GUIDNC =
GuiDaNC
HWVR =
HoWeVeR
INDC =
INDiCate
INVOF =
In adVance OF
ISOLD =
ISOLateD
LT =
LaTe
LTL =
LiTtLe
LVL, LLVL =
LeVeL or Low LeVeL
MCS =
Mesoscale Convective System
MDL, MDLS =
MoDel or MoDeLS
MDT, MDRT =
MoDeraTe
MDNT =
MiDNighT
MOS =
Model Output Statistics
Models:
NGM, AVN, ETA, Meso-ETA, MRF, MM5, Navy's NOGAPS, etc.
MRNG =
MoRNinG
MSTR =
MoiSTuRe
MTLY =
MosTLY
MTNS =
MounTaiNS
MV, MVS =
MoVe or MoVeS
NGT =
NiGhT
NR, NRG =
NeaR or NeaRinG
NVA =
Negative Vorticity Advection
OCNL =
OCcasioNaL
OVR =
OVeR
PCPN, PRECIP =
PreCiPitatioN
PD =
PerioD
PLNS =
PLaiNS
POP, POPS =
Percent/Probability Of Precipitation, or Period(s) of Precipitation
PREV =
PREVious
PROF, PROFLR =
(wind) PROFiles or PROFiLeRs
PSTN =
PoSiTioN
PTLY =
ParTLY
PTNL =
PoTeNtiaL
PTN, PTNS =
PorTioN or PorTioNS
PVA =
Positive Vorticity Advection
PVL =
PreVaiL
QSTNRY =
Quasi-STatioNaRY
RDG =
RiDGe
RA =
RaiN
RGN =
ReGioN
RMN, RMNG =
ReMaiN or ReMaiNinG
RNG =
RaNGe, RaNginG or RuNninG
S/W =
ShortWave
SCTD, SCTRD =
SCaTtereD
SCTN, SCTNS =
SeCTioN or SeCTioNS
SGT, SGNT, SIG =
SiGnificanT
SHD, SHLD =
SHoulD
SHR =
SHeaR
SHT =
SHorT
SLT, SLGT =
SLighT
SMWHT =
SoMeWHaT
SNDG =
SouNDinG
SQLN =
SQuall LiNe
SRA =
Showers
STNRY =
STatioNaRy
STG, STRG =
STronG
STLT =
SaTeLliTe
STRY, STNRY =
STationaRY
SCTNS, SXNS =
SeCTioNS
TDY =
ToDaY
TMW =
ToMorroW
TNGT =
ToNiGHT
TROF =
TRough (misspelled)
TSRA =
Thundershowers
TWD, TWDS =
TorWarD or TorWarDS
ULVL =
Upper LeVeL
UPR AIR =
UPpeR AIR
UVV =
Upward Vertical Velocity
VCNTY =
ViCiNiTY
VLY =
VaLley
VORT MAX =
VORTicity MAXimum
VSBY =
ViSiBilitY
W/ =
With
W/B =
Will Be
WAA =
Warm Air Advection
WD, WND =
WinD
WK, WKN =
WeaK or WeaKeN
WKND =
WeeKeND
WL =
WilL
WRM =
WaRM
WV =
WaVe or Water Vapor
WX =
Weather
X =
cross (as in cross-section)
XPCTD =
eXPeCTeD
YSTDY, YDA, YDY =
YeSTerDaY
ZN, ZNS =
ZoNe or ZoNeS
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