**Smart Tool Name: WxManager**

**Developed by: Carl Morgan, WFO Wilmington, NC**

**Date 1/24/06**

**Development Platform: IFPS 17.6.1**

**[Purpose:]{.underline}** Several Wx smart tools currently exist on the
Smart Tool Repository, each offering their own different features.
Therefore forecasters often resort to using multiple smart tools to come
up with a set of representative Wx grids. The development of WxManager
is an attempt to bring many of these features together into one
interface, thereby simplifying the grid editing process. It has
incorporated features from the BUF_WxTool (John Rozbicki, WFO BUF) as
well as the original Wx_SmartTool (Chris Darden, WFO HNT).

WxManager is not a science-based tool. It is simply a tool to modify
weather grids based on characteristics established by the forecaster,
while maintaining consistency with the corresponding PoP and T elements.

**[Date Required:]{.underline}** WxManager will correlate weather
coverage/uncertainty to the corresponding hourly PoP grid. It will also
apply itself to areas of the GFE domain based on a mask set by the
hourly temperature grid. Therefore both of these elements (hourly PoP
and T) must exist prior to running the tool.

**[Forecaster Input:]{.underline}** The default user input screen
appears below.

![](media/image1.png){width="5.997222222222222in" height="4.2625in"}

*[Task:]{.underline}* The tool can replace or append to the existing Wx
grid. It can also append to the existing grid using the "OR" attribute,
for example "RAIN OR SNOW". A typical use of the "Append" option would
be to take an existing weather grid containing rain, and change only
those areas where the temperature is below 32 degrees to snow. To
accomplish this, the weather grid should first contain rain. Then select
"Append", change the temperature mask to 32 (see below), p-type to snow,
and run the tool.

*Note: To ensure PoP-Wx consistency, when either "Replace" or "Append
with 'OR'" is selected, the tool will only run in "Match PoP" mode,
regardless of what is selected in "Set Max Wx".*

*[Qualifier:]{.underline}* Uncertainty refers to slight chance (SChc),
chance (Chc), likely (Lkly) or definite (Def) probabilities. Coverage
refers to isolated (Iso), scattered (Sct), numerous (Num) or widespread
(Wide).

*[Nature:]{.underline}* This determines whether the precipitation will
stratiform or convective in nature. If convective, the forecaster will
decide whether to include thunder, and whether the thunderstorms will be
severe.

*[Set Max Wx:]{.underline}* This value will act as an upper limit for
weather coverage or uncertainty. By default, the tool will generate
weather coverage or uncertainties that match the PoP. The initial run
should always use "Match PoP". However the forecaster may want to append
additional weather elements with a lower coverage, for example
"Widespread Rain with Scattered Thunderstorms". In this case, after the
initial run, the forecaster would select "Append", change "Set Max Wx"
to "Sct", and define the other convective characteristics. Regardless of
the selected value, WxManager will not assign a Wx coverage or
uncertainty that exceeds the associated PoP. For example, if "Sct" is
chosen, the tool will only assign "Iso" in those areas where the PoP is
less than 25%.

*[T Mask Operator:]{.underline}* This is used in conjunction with the
temperature value defined by the forecaster. The tool can be applied
over areas where the hourly T is greater than, less than, greater than
or equal to, or less than or equal to the specified temperature. By
default, this value is set to 110 with the intent of applying
modifications to the entire GFE domain. This feature would be most
useful for adding multiple precipitation types to one Wx grid. For
example, the forecaster can assign snow where the temperature is less
than or equal to 32, then select "Append", change the operator to
"greater than", and assign rain to the rest of the domain.

*[Create Temperature Mask Using This Value and Operator:]{.underline}*
The forecaster will specify a temperature value that will delineate
between areas of the GFE domain where modifications are or are not made
(see above).

*[P-Type:]{.underline}* Various precipitation types can be selected for
independent runs.

*[Assign Intensity:]{.underline}* Options are Trace, Light, Moderate and
Heavy. To produce Drizzle (L) in the Wx grids, the forecaster would
choose "Stratiform", "Rain", and "Trace".

*[Duration (Where PoP \>= 75%):]{.underline}* NWSI 10-503 specifies that
duration qualifiers may be used when PoP's are categorical. If selected,
brief, intermittent, periods of, occasional or intermittent will be
associated with the weather where PoP's are categorical.

*[Attributes:]{.underline}* The forecaster can associate various
combinations of small hail, heavy rain, gusty winds, frequent lightning,
large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes to thunderstorms. The allowable
attributes are linked to the "Nature" characteristic. For example,
"Severe Conv." must be chosen to allow large hail, damaging winds or
tornadoes to be associated with thunderstorms in the Wx grid. If both
small hail and large hail are selected, large hail will supersede.
Likewise if gusty winds and damaging winds are both selected, damaging
winds will supersede.

**[Limitations:]{.underline}** In order to produce different
precipitation types on a single grid, the forecaster would have to run
the tool multiple times using "Append", and various settings for the "T
Mask Operator". For example, to get rain where the temperature is above
32 degrees and snow at 32 degrees or below, follow these steps:

1)  Using "Replace", select snow as the p-type, and type in "32" to
    define the temperature mask threshold. Click "Run" to place snow in
    the weather grid.

2)  Switch to "Append". Change the "T Mask Operator" to "\>" (greater
    than), change p-type to rain, and click "Run".

**[Future Enhancements:]{.underline}** I hope to incorporate a freezing
level and/or topographic mask, in addition to the temperature mask. I
also may add the functionality from RemoveWx (Tim Barker) if I can do so
without cluttering up the user interface too much.

**[Installation:]{.underline}**

1)  Download WxManager.Tool from the STR, and install using the method
    of choice. The following command will install the tool as user SITE:

> ifpServerText --u SITE --s --n WxManager --f WxManager.Tool --c
> SmartTool

WxManager is a stand-alone tool, and no additional configuration is

required for it to run. Items that offices may want to customize include
the

default values for "Create Temperature Mask Using This Value and

Operator" and "Lowest PoP Allowing Weather". These can be modified by

editing the VariableList section of the code.