00Z model run on time, 17 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.
125 weather balloon launches were available to feed this run (9 in Alaska, 25 in Canada, 61 in Lower 48, 14 in Mexico, 6 in Caribbean, 10 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 for the GFS.
Balloon reports UPDATED 00Z GFS 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 GFS.
17 stations were flagged: 8 sent no usable sounding at all, 9 reported a numeric status code. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCG 70231 | Mcgrath, 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 for NAM/GFS |
| SYA 70414 | Shemya AFB, AK | No weather balloon data from this station reached the NAM run. The GFS run did get a report from it. | No report for NAM..in for GFS |
| 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 for NAM/GFS |
| CRP 72251 | Corpus Christi/Intl, TX | No weather balloon data from this station reached the NAM run. The GFS run did get a report from it. | No report for NAM..in for GFS |
| 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 for NAM/GFS |
| 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 for NAM/GFS |
| BIS 72764 | Bismarck/Municipal, ND | No weather balloon data from this station reached the NAM run. The GFS run did get a report from it. | No report for NAM..in for GFS |
| 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 for NAM/GFS |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| FFC 72215 | Peachtree City, GA | Unfavorable weather conditions — weather conditions prevented or disrupted the sounding. | 10145 |
| 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 |
| TOP 72456 | Topeka/Municipal, KS | 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 |
| 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 |
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 120303 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 0302Z WED AUG 12 2026 The 00Z NWS model production suite continues to run on time with 9 Alaskan..25 Canadian..61 CONUS..14 Mexican..6 Caribbean..and 10 Pacific stations available for ingest into the 00Z GFS. There were also 8 dropsondes ingested from NOAA aircraft reconnaissance of Invest 93C in the Central Pacific. UPDATED 00Z GFS RAOB RECAP... 70231/MCG - No report for NAM/GFS 70414/SYA - No report for NAM..in for GFS 72206/JAX - No report for NAM/GFS 72251/CRP - No report for NAM..in for GFS 72388/VEF - No report for NAM/GFS 72645/GRB - No report for NAM/GFS 72764/BIS - No report for NAM..in for GFS 72786/OTX - No report for NAM/GFS 70133/OTZ - 10159 70219/BET - 10159 70308/SNP - 10159 70326/AKN - 10159 72215/FFC - 10145 72274/TWC - 10159 72456/TOP - 10159 78384/GCM - 10142 78970/POS - 10159 Churchill/SDM/NCO