The GFS model will be upgraded tomorrow, 1/14/15. It is under going a major upgrade. The below PowerPoint link will explain in detail the model physics and initialization changes that have been made, as well as, the effect on model performance.
GFS_implementation_Q1FY15_review_v3
This is a major change to the model and there will likely be new biases and features that we didn’t see in the old GFS due to the higher model resolution. The model is now running at about 13km (near the equator).
We now have several HP DL380 server’s clustered to handle the higher resolution GFS, as well as, HRRR data.
We will have the GFS data in 2 different resolutions. The standard 0.5 degree which have been displaying for years now and soon we will have surface and other 2D fields 0.25 degree.
Look for the higher resolution data in the coming days. The new GFS based model data at 0.5 degrees will begin tomorrow (01/14/15) however, unless NCEP decides to delay the implementation.
Excellent update on the GFS upgrades and status!