WRF Downloads

You may download WRF modeling system source codes (including the WRF model, the WRF Preprocessing System (WPS), graphics software, terrestrial datasets for WPS, and test data for the WRF model from this site.

External packages you may need to run WRF and graphics programs:

- netCDF for WPS and WRF model: http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
- NCAR Graphics for NCL and RIP4: http://ngwww.ucar.edu/

Free input data for initializing WRF at NCAR:

NCAR's Computational Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) is providing a number of datasets archived at NCAR for the latest year free and they can be otained online.

Free input data for initializing WRF at NOAA:

The NOAA National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) provides near real-time and historical operational model data via web portal.

Real-time data from NCEP's ftp site:

NCEP provides a variety of regional (NAM) and global (GFS) data in GRIB format, and they can be used to initialize WRF in real-time. As of Feb 4 2008, all GFS and NAM data are in grib 2.

For NAM data, a popular dataset is the 40 km one, which has the following file names: nam.t{00,06,12,18}z.awip3dff.tm00.grib2, where ff stands for forecast hours. Forecast hours from 0 to 84 are available 4 times daily at 3 hourly interval.

For GFS data, a typical dataset is the 1 degree one, which has the following file names: gfs.t{00,06,12,18}.pgrbfhh.grib2 (where hh stands for forecast hour). Forecast hours from 0 to 384 are availably 4 times daily at 6 hour interval. For 0.5 degree data, try gfs.t{00,06,12,18}z.pgrb2fhh.