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700 mb Vertical Velocity and Surface Precipitation
model mode

This panel shows the forecasted fields for 700 mb vertical velocities and quantitative precipitation. 700 mb charts depict conditions in the middle troposphere (roughly 3000 meters). This is also referred to as the steering level, since most weather systems are "steered" by the winds at this level.

700 mb vertical velocity is simply the velocity of air moving through the 700 mb surface in a vertical direction. Upward motion has a positive velocity (solid white contours) and downward motion has a negative velocity (dashed white contours). The vertical velocity field is given in millibars per second with an interval of 2 millibars per second between velocity contours.

Quantitative precipitation is represented by the color filled regions and the associated values are indicated by the color code located in the lower left corner of the forecast panel. Precipitation totals are given in inches with totals of less than 0.51 inches shaded in purple with heavier totals shaded in green, yellow and red. Quantitative precipitation is the estimation of the liquid equivalent precipitation that would occur during the 12 hour period. For example, quantitative precipitation fields for 0000Z 24 March 1996 represent the amount of precipitation that is predicted to occur from 1200Z 23 March to 0000Z 24 March 1996.


Terms for using data resources. CD-ROM available.
Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.