Routine Forecasting with the Barotropic Model

Since 1 December 1954 the Royal Swedish Air Force Weather Service has been conducting a series of test forecasts of the 500-mb topography under operational conditions. Forecasts for 24, 48 and 72 hours have been prepared on a routine basis, using the barotropic model and the digital computer BESK. The tests to date have covered the periods 1-16 December 1954, 17 January-25 February 1955 and from 12 April 1955 to the time of writing. It was originally planned to issue 42 sets of three forecasts during the first two periods, but some forecasts failed due to minor breakdowns of the computer (see tables).