Regional Forecast System for the Southeast

Collaborators: Y.Lim, L. Stefanova, SECC

Institutions: Florida State University

Funding Agency: ARC, USDA, Others End: Indefinite

Status: Funded

Filed Under: Agriculture, Climate Sciences

Abstract: Researchers are currently issuing real-time regional forecasts for the Southeast using two approaches: a statistical downscaling model, and a dynamical downscaling model. "Downscaling" means translating a relative coarse-resolution forecast - in this case the FSU/COAPS Global Circulation Model (GCM; horizontal resolution of approximately 200 km) - to a finer-resolution grid over a region of interest (in this case, horizontal resolution of 20 km over the Southeast). The forecasts are issued four times per year. The starting dates and forecast lengths are tailored to the needs of seasonal crop planting planners. There are plans to diversify this set-up in the near future.

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