00Z model run on time, 23 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 (6 in Alaska, 26 in Canada, 58 in Lower 48, 14 in Mexico, 5 in Caribbean, 8 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 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.
23 stations were flagged: 8 sent no usable sounding at all, 13 reported a numeric status code, 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRW 70026 | Barrow/W. Post W. Rogers, 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 |
| 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 |
| FWD 72249 | Fort Worth, TX | Ground equipment failure — the receiving, tracking, processing, or other ground system failed. | No report for NAM, 10142 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 |
| 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 |
| TKK 91334 | Truk/Caroline Is · Micronesia | 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 |
| 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 | Any reason not listed above — other or unspecified reason. “Unavailable” may appear as free text, but is not the formal definition. | 10159 |
| CHS 72208 | Charleston/Municipal, SC | 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 |
| LZK 72340 | Little Rock/Adams Field, AR | Power failure — A power failure prevented or interrupted the observation. | 10144 |
| 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 |
| YPH 71907 | Inukjuak A, Que · Canada | Quality control removed part of this sounding before it reached the models: temp, moist 901 to 885 mb. The rest of the sounding was still used. | Purged temp, moist 901 to 885 mb.. |
| GJT 72476 | Grand Junction/Walker Field, CO | Quality control removed part of this sounding before it reached the models: temp, moist 471 to 449 mb. The rest of the sounding was still used. | Purged temp, moist 471 to 449 mb.. |
| BIS 72764 | Bismarck/Municipal, ND | Quality control removed part of this sounding before it reached the models: temp, moist 565 to 554 mb. The rest of the sounding was still used. | Purged temp, moist 565 to 554 mb.. |
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 150314 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 0313Z SAT AUG 15 2026 The 00Z NWS model production suite continues to run on time with 6 Alaskan, 26 Canadian, 58 CONUS, 14 Mexican, 5 Caribbean and 8 Pacific stations available for ingest. There were 53 dropsondes courtesy of NOAA and USAF Reserve aircraft in the vicinity of Tropical Storm Lala in the Central Pacific. 00Z GFS RAOB RECAP... `70026/BRW - No report `70414/SYA - No report `72206/JAX - No report `72249/FWD - No report for NAM, 10142 for GFS `72388/VEF - No report `72645/GRB - No report `72786/OTX - No report `91334/TKK - No report `70133/OTZ - 10159 `70219/BET - 10159 `70308/SNP - 10159 `70316/CDB - 10142 `70326/AKN - 10159 `70361/YAK - 10159 `72208/CHS - 10145 `72274/TWC - 10159 `72340/LZK - 10144 `72456/TOP - 10159 `78384/GCM - 10142 `78970/POS - 10159 `71907/YPH - Purged temp, moist 901 to 885 mb.. `72476/GJT - Purged temp, moist 471 to 449 mb.. `72764/BIS - Purged temp, moist 565 to 554 mb.. Renkevens/SDM/NCO