Current Icing Product (CIP) and Forecast Icing Product (FIP) Version 2.0

The operational Current Icing Product (CIP) and Forecast Icing Product (FIP) provide hourly-updating diagnoses and forecasts of in-flight icing conditions, respectively. These products are available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Aviation Weather Center (AWC) as imagery via the worldwide web and also as binary data files via the NOAAPORT data distribution system. The horizontal grid spacing of these products is currently 13 km, the same as the underlying Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model forecast data used (the WRF Rapid Refresh). In the CIP, observational datasets include geostationary satellite data from GOES-16, low-level composite radar reflectivity, lightning, surface observations (METAR), and voice pilot reports (PIREPs). No upgrades have been made to the operational CIP/FIP product suite in recent years, however research and development of the next generation of CIP and FIP (v2.0) is ongoing at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Initial work on testing CIP and FIP v2.0 with NWP model forecasts from the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) with 3-km horizontal grid spacing showed improved skill over the 13-km grid spacing CIP/FIP when compared to icing PIREPs. Additional modifications have since been made to CIP and FIP v2.0 to account for enhanced NWP model forecast skill in the HRRR with respect to particle phase and supercooled liquid water forecasts. In addition to adjustments for NWP model forecast skill, new observational data has also been integrated into CIP v2.0 including three-dimensional dual-polarization radar data and additional channels from the GOES-16 satellite. The CIP v2.0 will also utilize the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) dataset from GOES-16, as opposed to ground-based lightning network observations. Modifications made to CIP and FIP v2.0 were influenced by research that included icing PIREPs along with critical data collected during the In-Cloud ICing and Large drop Experiment (ICICLE) field campaign. Performance results from the latest version of CIP and FIP v2.0 will be presented, along with select case studies and experimental real-time imagery. A discussion of proposed future research topics and upgrade cadence will also be included.

This research is in response to requirements and funding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the FAA.