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
- 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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Website.