Mesoscale Modeling

In recent years, the continued increase in computing power has been combined with the availability of ever higher resolution geographic data (like topography, vegetation, ground cover, and soil type) to allow many universities, research consortia, and businesses to run highly tailored mesoscale computer models.  At present, the most common of these models include the Penn State/UCAR MM5 model and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, developed by NCAR, NOAA NCEP, and others.  These are extremely powerful and generalized modeling systems, designed to be applicable across a wide range of forecasting regimes and locales.  In practice, this goal of a generalized application can serve to limit the ability to customize the model to very specific regimes like the coastal zone.