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.
123 weather balloon launches were available to feed this run (9 in Alaska, 24 in Canada, 60 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: 6 sent no usable sounding at all, 9 reported a numeric status code, 2 were missing part of the transmission. 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 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 |
| 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 |
| TFX 72776 | Great Falls, MT | 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 |
| 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 |
| ADQ 70350 | Kodiak, AK | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| MFL 72202 | Miami, FL | 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 |
| MHX 72305 | Newport, NC | Ground equipment failure — the receiving, tracking, processing, or other ground system failed. | 10142 |
| GCM 78384 | Owen Roberts Airport Grand Cay · Cayman Islands | Ground equipment failure — the receiving, tracking, processing, or other ground system failed. | 10142 |
| LIX 72233 | Slidell/Mun. La, LA | The station reported, but part of the sounding transmission was missing — specifically TTAA, the mandatory-levels section that carries the standard pressure levels up to 100 mb. The GFS run still got a usable report from this station. | Missing TTAA for NAM..in for GFS |
| BZE 78583 | Belize/Phillip Goldston INTL · Belize | The station reported, but part of the sounding transmission was missing — specifically TTBB, the "significant levels" section that carries the extra detail between the standard pressure levels. | Missing TTBB |
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 280304 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 0304Z TUE JUL 28 2026 The 00Z NWS model production suite continues to run on time with 9 Alaskan..24 Canadian..60 CONUS..14 Mexican..6 Caribbean..and 10 Pacific stations available for ingest into the 00Z GFS. There were also 8 dropsondes available for ingest in the vicinity of Tropical Storm Fausto. UPDATED 00Z GFS RAOB RECAP... 70414/SYA - No report for NAM..in for GFS 72206/JAX - No report for NAM/GFS 72388/VEF - No report for NAM/GFS 72645/GRB - No report for NAM/GFS 72776/TFX - No report for NAM/GFS 72786/OTX - No report for NAM/GFS 70133/OTZ - 10159 70219/BET - 10159 70308/SNP - 10159 70326/AKN - 10159 70350/ADQ - 10159 72202/MFL - 10145 72274/TWC - 10159 72305/MHX - 10142 78384/GCM - 10142 72233/LIX - Missing TTAA for NAM..in for GFS 78583/BZE - Missing TTBB Churchill/SDM/NCO