STEP is a NCAR across-laboratory program with an overarching goal to improve short- term forecasts of high impact weather. “Short term” is here defined as all forecast periods out to approximately 36 hours. High impact weather is referred to as severe thunderstorms (heavy rain, tornados, downburst, flash flood, lightning and hail), winter storms (snow, freezing rain and drizzle), and hurricanes. A large number of uncoordinated efforts existed at NCAR addressing the short-range forecasting problem ranging from basic research to serving the operational community internationally.
STEP Mission Statement: Advance short term forecasting of high impact weather through a broad end-end approach consistent with the expectations of a national research center. This includes research into basic understanding of high impact weather systems, development of forecast techniques and high-resolution observation methods, real-time testing of forecast systems, verification and interaction with users. This is a broad across NCAR collaborative effort incorporating national and international scientists, engineers, and operational personnel from universities, government institutions and the private sector.