RUC files and variables

Updated 22 April 2002 for RUC20
Inventory of all RUC files from NCEP at http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/products/ruc2

All 3 file types available at 20km and 40km resolution.

native grid (hybrid-b) - 50 native coordinate levels (bgrb)
  3-d - 14

            u:long_name = "u-component of wind - b";
            v:long_name = "v-component of wind - b";
            Z:long_name = "height - b" ;
            p:long_name = "pressure - b";
            vpt:long_name = "virtual potential temperature - b";
            qv:long_name = "water vapor mixing ratio - b";
            w:long_name = "vertical velocity - b";
            qc:long_name = "cloud water mixing ratio - b";
            qr:long_name = "rain water mixing ratio - b";
            qi:long_name = "ice mixing ratio - b";
            qs:long_name = "snow mixing ratio - b";
            qg:long_name = "graupel mixing ratio - b";
            qin:long_name = "cloud ice number concentration - b";
            tke:long_name = "turbulence kinetic energy - b";

  2-d (46)
            MMSP:long_name = "MAPS mean sea level pressure";
            ST:long_name = "soil temperature at surface";
            SHF:long_name = "sensible heat flux";
            LHF:long_name = "latent heat flux";
            LWNR:long_name = "net longwave radiation at surface";
            PR:long_name = "precipitation rate";
            LgSP:long_name = "resolvable scale precipitation";
            ConvP:long_name = "sub-grid scale precipitation";
            PW:long_name = "precipitable water";
            Tp:long_name = "pressure at tropopause";
            Tpot:long_name = "potential temperature at tropopause";
            Tu:long_name = "u-component of wind at tropopause";
            Tv:long_name = "v-component of wind at tropopause";
            CAPE:long_name = "convective available potential energy";
            CIn:long_name = "convective inhibition";
            ST1:long_name = "soil temperature at level 1 below surface";
            ST2:long_name = "soil temperature at level 2 below surface";
            ST3:long_name = "soil temperature at level 3 below surface";
            ST4:long_name = "soil temperature at level 4 below surface";
            ST5:long_name = "soil temperature at the bottom";
            SM:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at surface";
            SM1:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at level 1";
            SM2:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at level 2";
            SM3:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at level 3";
            SM4:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at level 4";
            SM4:long_name = "soil volumetric moisture content at level 4";
            EDIR:long_name = "direct evaporation from bare soil";
            EC:long_name = "evaporation of canopy water";
            CANWAT:long_name = "canopy water";
            ETT:long_name = "evapotranspiration flux";
            DEW:long_name = "water condensation rate near surface";
            DRIP:long_name = "rate of water dropping from canopy to ground";
            SWNR:long_name = "net shortwave radiation at surface";
            SnwAcc:long_name = "snow accumulation";
            SnwCov:long_name = "snow depth";
            STsnow:long_name = "snow temperature - snow or top soil level";
            Rnoff:long_name = "surface runoff";
            SubRnoff:long_name = "sub-surface runoff";
            'temperature inside snow or top soil level'
            'water vapor mixing ratio at surface'
            'water equivalent of snow depth'
            'snow density'
            'temperature, 2m fixed height'
            'water vapor mixing ratio, 2m fixed height'
            'u-component of wind, 10m fixed height'
            'v-component of wind, 10m fixed height'
  (last 8 added for RUC20 output as of 4/17/2002)




isobaric main  (6 3-d plus 88 2-d variables) (pgrb)
  3-d - 37 isobaric (25 mb, 1000-100) levels (6)
            Z:long_name = "height - p" ;
            T:long_name = "temperature - p";
            RH:long_name = "relative humidity - p" ;
            U:long_name = "u-component of wind - p";
            V:long_name = "v-component of wind - p";
            VV:long_name = "vertical velocity - p" ;
  2-d - 6 mean layers (5 x 6 = 30)   
          (0-30,30-60,60-90,90-120,120-150,150-180 mb above surface)
            Tm:long_name = "temperature - m";
            RHm:long_name = "relative humidity - m" ;
            Um:long_name = "u-component of wind - m";
            Vm:long_name = "v-component of wind - m";
            VVm:long_name = "vertical  velocity - m " ;
  2-d
        surface fields (13)
            u:long_name = "u-component of wind - s";
            v:slong_name = "v-component of wind - s";
            pt3:long_name = "3-hr pressure tendency";
            pot:long_name = "potential temperature";
            temp:long_name = "temperature - s";
            sh:long_name = "specific humidity";
            dpt:long_name = "dew point temperature";
            dpd:long_name = "dew point depression";
            mslp:long_name = "MAPS mean sea level pressure";
            surface pressure
            thetae:long_name = "equivalent potential temperature";
            earth surface height
        other (23)
            CAPE:long_name = "convective available potential energy";
            CIn:long_name = "convective inhibition";
            LI:long_name = "lifted index";
            BLI:long_name = "best lifted index";
            LgSP1h:long_name = "resolvable scale precipitation - 1h";
            ConvP1h:long_name = "sub-grid scale precipitation - 1h";
            LgSP3h:long_name = "resolvable scale precipitation - 3h";
            ConvP3h:long_name = "sub-grid scale precipitation - 3h";
            catrain:long_name = "categorical rain";
            catfrzr:long_name = "categorical freezing rain";
            caticep:long_name = "categorical ice pellets";
            catsnow:long_name = "categorical snow";
            snacc:long_name = "snow accumulation";
            helic:long_name = "helicity";
            PR:long_name = "precipitation rate";
            SMA:long_name = "soil moisture availability";
            Rnoff:long_name = "surface runoff";
            Rnoff:long_name = "surface runoff"; (repeated accidentally)
            snow depth
            precipitable water
            relative humidity at surface
            u-component of storm motion
            v-component of storm motion
            gust wind speed
            cloud base height
            cloud top height
            visibility
            maximum equivalent potential temperature pressure
            convective cloud top height
            equilibrium level height
            PBL height


        special level (13)
            pfr:long_name = "pressure - frz";
            zfr:long_name = "height - frz";
            rhfr:long_name = "relative humidity - frz";
            pressure at top freezing level
            geopotential height at top freezing level
            relative humidity at top freezing level
            Tp:long_name = "pressure at tropopause";
            Tpot:long_name = "potential temperature at tropopause";
            temperature at tropopause
            Tu:long_name = "u-component of wind at tropopause";
            Tv:long_name = "v-component of wind at tropopause";
            Tv:long_name = "v-component of wind at tropopause";
            temperature at tropopause
            PMW:long_name = "pressure at max wind level";
            UMW:long_name = "u-component of wind at max wind level";
            VMW:long_name = "v-component of wind at max wind level";

surface (sgrb)
  3-d - none
  2-d
        surface (11)
            u:long_name = "u-component of wind - s";
            v:slong_name = "v-component of wind - s";
            pt3:long_name = "3-hr pressure tendency";
            pot:long_name = "potential temperature";
            temp:long_name = "temperature - s";
            sh:long_name = "specific humidity";
            dpt:long_name = "dew point temperature";
            dpd:long_name = "dew point depression";
            mslp:long_name = "MAPS mean sea level pressure";
            surface pressure
            thetae:long_name = "equivalent potential temperature";
        other (14)
            CAPE:long_name = "convective available potential energy";
            CIn:long_name = "convective inhibition";
            LI:long_name = "lifted index";
            BLI:long_name = "best lifted index";
            LgSP3h:long_name = "resolvable scale precipitation - 3h";
            ConvP3h:long_name = "sub-grid scale precipitation - 3h";
            LgSP1h:long_name = "resolvable scale precipitation - 1h";
            ConvP1h:long_name = "sub-grid scale precipitation - 1h";
            catrain:long_name = "categorical rain";
            catfrzr:long_name = "categorical freezing rain";
            caticep:long_name = "categorical ice pellets";
            catsnow:long_name = "categorical snow";
            snacc:long_name = "snow accumulation";
            helic:long_name = "helicity";

Please credit the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory, RUC development group, if you wish to use any pictures from this web site.

This page prepared by Stan Benjamin

Last updated: 22 Apr 2002