NWS ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS

(commonly used in Forecast Discussions)

• ABV - Above
• ADV/Y - Advisory
• AFD - Area Forecast Discussion
• AGL - Above Ground Level
• AHD - Ahead
• AKQ - NWS Wakefield, VA
• AMD - Amend
• AMT - Amount
• AOA - At or Above
• AOB - At or Below
• APCHG - Approaching
• ATLC - Atlantic
• ATTM - At This Time -or- At The Moment
• AVBL - Available
• AVN - Aviation Model (forecasting computer model)

• BCB - Blacksburg, VA
• BECMG - Becoming
• BINOVC - Breaks in the Overcast
• BKN - Broken (refers to sky conditions)
• BLF - Bluefield, WV
• BLO - Below

• C - Celsius
• CAA - Cold Air Advection ( the horizontal movement of colder air into a location)
• CAPE - Convective Available Potential Energy (measure of atmospheric energy enough to produce convection)
• CB - Cumulonimbus
• CFP - Cold frontal passage
• CHC - Chance
• CI - Cirrus
• CIG/S - Ceiling/s  (The height of the lowest layer of clouds, when the sky is broken or overcast)
• CLD/S - Cloud/s
• CLR - Clear
• CONT - Continue
• CONUS - Continental United States
• COR - Correction
• CU - Cumulus
• CWA - County Warning Area

• DAN - Danville, VA
• DEG/S - Degree/s
• DELMARVA - Delaware/Maryland/Virginia
• DNS - Dense
• DRZL or DZ - Drizzle
• DURG - During
• DVLP/G/S - Develop/ing/s
• DVM or DVV - Downward Vertical Air Motion (sinking air)

• ELSW - Elsewhere
• EMBDD - Embedded
• ETA - Eta model (forecasting computer model)

• F - Farenheit
• FA - Forecast Area
• FAN- Aviation Model numerical forecast guidance
• FCST - Forecast
• FG - Fog
• FLRY/S - Flurry/ies
• FM - From
• FNT/L/S - Front/al/s
• FQT - Frequent
• FROPA - Frontal Passage
• FRZG or FZ - Freezing
• FT - Feet
• FWC - NGM model numerical forecast guidance

• GSO - Greensboro, NC
• GSP - NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
• GFS - Global Forecast System (a.k.a. AVN/MRF model)
• GLFMEX - Gulf of Mexico
• GRTLKS - Great Lakes

• H3 - 300 millibar level (jet stream level)
• H5 - 500 millibar level
• H7 - 700 millibar level
• H8 - 850 millibar level
• HGT/S - Height/s
• HTG - Heating
• HVY - Heavy

• INCRSG - Increasing
• INVOF - In Vicinity Of
• IP or PL - Ice Pellets
• IR - Infrared

• KT/S - Knot/s

• LGT - Light
• LI/S - Lifted Index/ices (a measure of atmospheric instability)
• LLJ - Low level jet
• LTG - Lightning
• LTST - Latest
• LVL - Level
• LWB - Lewisburg, WV
• LWX - NWS Sterling, VA
• LYH - Lynchburg, VA
• LYR - Layer
  
• MB - Millibars
• MDT - Moderate
• MRX - NWS Morristown, TN
• MSTR - Moisture    

• NGM - Nested Grid Model (forecasting  computer model)
• NOGAPS - Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (forecasting computer model)
• NVA - Negative Vorticity Advection
• NWS - National Weather Service   

• OBS - Observations
• OTLK - Outlook
• OVC - Overcast
• OVR - Over

• PCPN - Precipitation
• POP - Probability of precipitation
• PTN/S - Portion/s
• PVA - Positive Vorticity Advection
• PW OR PWAT - Precipitable Water 

• QPF- Quanitative Precipitation Forecast

• RA - Rain
• RAH/RDU - NWS Raleigh, NC
• RDG - Ridge
• RH - Relative Humidity
• RLX - NWS Charleston, WV
• RNK - NWS Blacksburg, VA
• ROA - Roanoke, VA
• RUC - Rapid Update Cycle (forecasting computer model)

• SAT/L - Satellite
• SCT - Scattered
• SFC - Surface
• SHRA - Rain showers
• SHSN - Snow showers
• SIG - Significant
• SN - Snow
• STG - Strong
• SVR - Severe
• S/W or SHRT WV - Short Wave
• SYS - System

• TCU - Towering Cumulus
• TDY - Today
• TNGT - Tonight
• TRAJ - Trajectory
• TSRA - Thunderstorm

• UPR - Upper
• UVM or UVV - Upper Vertical Motion/Velocity

• VCNTY - Vicinity
• VIS or VSB - Visible
• VLY - Valley
• VORT - Vorticity

• WAA - Warm Air Advection
• WFO - Weather Forecast Office
• WIBIS - will be issued
• WL - will
• WND - Wind
• WV - Wave (or Water Vapor when used with satellite)
• WX - Weather

• YDA - Yesterday
       
• ZFP - Zone Forecast Product

 If there are abbreviations not in this list that are in our discussions you would like to see added

email me your request.

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