The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is proposing to stop 
running the Regional Spectral Model (RSM) and discontinue all output products 
from this model.  The RSM is currently only run for a domain over the Hawaiian
Islands.  NWS Pacific Region has agreed to the dropping of the RSM run in lieu
of NCEP's adding a Guam domain to its HiResWindow suite in March.    
  
The Regional Spectral Model is a limited-area atmospheric model using a 
spectral method for horizontal advection.  It uses hydrostatic dynamics and 
is run for Hawaii with the equivalent of 10 km horizontal resolution (at 20 
North), using a grid of 97x76 points on 42 levels.  Runs are  made twice daily 
from 00z and 12z and run to 48 hours.  The domain and terrain height is 
depicted below:


 

It has been run operationally since June 1997 to provide numerical guidance for 
use by NWS Weather Forecast Offices in Hawaii.  The Hawaii RSM products (211 
fields per output time) were only disseminated via the NWS and NCEP FTP servers.
These products are not available on NOAAPORT.   At this time, the NWS no longer 
has a requirement to produce these runs or products as newer products have been 
introduced that meet the needs of the forecasters.

The table below lists characteristics of the RSM and other current [& imminent] 
NCEP Operational Products, all of which are based on nonhydrostatic dynamics, 
that provide similar or better guidance than the Hawaii RSM that will be removed.

Product	     Runs/day	        Range	Resolution	Grid (see O.N.388)  	Products
RSM		2		48hr	10km/42lev	(see figure above)	211
NAM		4		84hr	12 km/60lev	182			762
[NAM nest]	4		60hr	3 km/60lev	196			875
HiResWindow	
WRF-ARW	        2		48hr	5 km/35lev	see here		157
WRF-NMM	        2		48hr	4 km/35lev	see here	 	158


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