An animated image of NAM simulated radar reflectivities, forecast from 0000 UTC on July 10, 2012, to July 13, 2012, at 1200 UTC—a three and a half day forecast—in three-hourly intervals. In the initial few frames, Hurricane Emilia can be seen in the bottom left corner spinning off to the west. This image was produced with the Grid Analysis and Display System and ImageMagick.

Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) data are the form of weather model data we are most familiar with on a day-to-day basis. NWP focuses on taking current observations of weather and processing these data with computer models to forecast the future state of weather. Knowing the current state of the weather is just as important as the numerical computer models processing the data. Current weather observations serve as input to the numerical computer models through a process known as data assimilation to produce outputs of temperature, precipitation, and hundreds of other meteorological elements from the oceans to the top of the atmosphere.

The following NWP data, and assimilation data (input observational weather data), are available through NOAA's National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS).