What Is Grid Spacing?
The distance between the points where a weather model calculates the weather. Smaller spacing shows finer detail, like individual thunderstorms. In technical terms: The horizontal (and vertical) distance between model grid points, e.g., about 3 km for the HRRR and about 13 km for the GFS; features must span roughly 4-7 grid lengths to be well resolved, and spacing near 4 km or less allows deep convection to be represented explicitly.
Also called: Model Resolution, Grid Resolution
Grid Spacing In Plain English
The distance between the points where a weather model calculates the weather. Smaller spacing shows finer detail, like individual thunderstorms.
The Technical Definition
The horizontal (and vertical) distance between model grid points, e.g., about 3 km for the HRRR and about 13 km for the GFS; features must span roughly 4-7 grid lengths to be well resolved, and spacing near 4 km or less allows deep convection to be represented explicitly.
Lessons That Use Grid Spacing
- How Computer Forecast Models Work Unit 14: Forecast Models
