00Z model run on time, 22 balloon reports flagged
Model status
NWS is producing the 00Z model run on schedule. Forecast model output should reach forecasters, apps and websites at the usual times.
“00Z” is the run’s start time in UTC. NWS runs its main models four times a day — 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z — and each run begins by digesting a global snapshot of current conditions taken at that hour.
117 weather balloon launches were available to feed this run (7 in Alaska, 26 in Canada, 57 in Lower 48, 12 in Mexico, 6 in Caribbean, 9 in Pacific). “Stations available for ingest” means balloon soundings that arrived in time to be folded into the model’s starting picture of the atmosphere. Twice a day, sites across North America release balloons that measure temperature, humidity, pressure and wind all the way up. More stations reporting means a better-anchored starting point.
Balloon reports 00Z NAM RAOB RECAP...
Twice a day, NWS and partner agencies release weather balloons that carry a radiosonde — a small instrument package that radios back temperature, humidity, pressure and wind as it climbs. Those soundings are one of the main ingredients in a forecast model’s starting conditions. This section is the roll call of stations that had a problem for the 00Z run of the NAM.
22 stations were flagged: 8 sent no usable sounding at all, 13 reported a numeric status code, 1 had bad data removed by quality control. A handful of gaps is normal and is not by itself a sign of a forecast problem — the models are built to work with an incomplete picture.
| Station | Where | What happened | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYA 70414 | Shemya AFB, AK | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| JAX 72206 | Jacksonville/Intl, FL | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| NKX 72293 | San Diego/Miramar, NAS, CA | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| VEF 72388 | Las Vegas, NV | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| LWX 72403 | Washington/Dulles Intl, VA | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| TOP 72456 | Topeka/Municipal, KS | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| GRB 72645 | Green Bay/A.-Straubel, WI | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| OTX 72786 | Spokane, WA | No weather balloon data from this station reached the model for this cycle — either no launch happened or the data did not arrive in time. | No report |
| OTZ 70133 | Kotzebue, Ralph Wien, AK | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| BET 70219 | Bethel/Bethel Airport, AK | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| SNP 70308 | St. Paul Islands, AK | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| CDB 70316 | Cold Bay, AK | Ground equipment failure — the receiving, tracking, processing, or other ground system failed. | 10142...Ground equipment failure |
| AKN 70326 | King Salmon, AK | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| YAK 70361 | Yakutat, AK | Observation delayed — the observation was delayed. | 10143...Observation delayed |
| TWC 72274 | Tucson, AZ | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| AMA 72363 | Amarillo/INTL, TX | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| LAP 76405 | Paz, Bcs, LA · Mexico | Power failure — A power failure prevented or interrupted the observation. | 10144...Power failure |
| GDL 76612 | Guadalajara, Mexico · Mexico | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| MZL 76654 | Manzanillo, Col · Mexico | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| GCM 78384 | Owen Roberts Airport Grand Cay · Cayman Islands | Ground equipment failure — the receiving, tracking, processing, or other ground system failed. | 10142...Ground equipment failure |
| POS 78970 | Piarco Intl, Trinidad · Trinidad and Tobago | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| OHX 72327 | Nashville/Metropolitan, TN | Quality control removed part of this sounding before it reached the models: temps/moisture 799-797 mb...wet bulb effect. The rest of the sounding was still used. | Purged temps/moisture 799-797 mb...wet bulb effect |
Show the original message
Exactly as NWS transmitted it. Everything above is our plain-English reading of this text — if the two ever disagree, this is the authoritative version.
000
NOUS42 KWNO 180158
ADMSDM
SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE
NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD
0157Z TUE AUG 18 2026
00Z NWS model production started on time with 7 Alaskan...
26 Canadian...57 CONUS...12 Mexican...6 Caribbean...and 9
Pacific stations available for ingest.
00Z NAM RAOB RECAP...
70414/SYA - No report
72206/JAX - No report
72293/NKX - No report
72388/VEF - No report
72403/LWX - No report
72456/TOP - No report
72645/GRB - No report
72786/OTX - No report
70133/OTZ - 10159
70219/BET - 10159
70308/SNP - 10159
70316/CDB - 10142...Ground equipment failure
70326/AKN - 10159
70361/YAK - 10143...Observation delayed
72274/TWC - 10159
72363/AMA - 10159
76405/LAP - 10144...Power failure
76612/GDL - 10159
76654/MZL - 10159
78384/GCM - 10142...Ground equipment failure
78970/POS - 10159
72327/OHX - Purged temps/moisture 799-797 mb...wet bulb
effect
Kempisty/SDM/NCO