NAM AIR QUALITY DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
1024 AM EDT MON JUL 09 2012


*** The following information pertains to initialization errors
noted on the 12Z NAM that may negatively impact the performance of
the 12Z CMAQ output as used for air quality forecasting.
Specifically, errors that apply to temperature, winds, relative
humidity and precipitation are included. This discussion only
applies to geographical regions of the CONUS where air quality is
currently forecast to be degraded (i.e. CODES:
YELLOW/ORANGE/RED/PURPLE/MAROON). ***


...INTERIOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...
...LOWER COLORADO VALLEY...

THE NAM INITIALIZED SURFACE TEMPERATURES AS MUCH AS 10 TO 20
DEGREES TOO COOL NEAR THE EDGE OF THE MOUNTAINS...LIKELY DUE TO
ITS TERRAIN RESOLUTION.


...NORTHERN FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO...

THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT INITIALIZATION ERRORS NOTED WITH THE NAM
IN THIS REGION.


...MID ATLANTIC STATES...
...SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS...

THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT INITIALIZATION ERRORS NOTED WITH THE NAM
IN THESE REGIONS.


CISCO