MRMS Reflectivity Grid-to-Grid Retrospective verification

Updated: June 10, 2026
POC: MATS team (mats.gsl@noaa.gov)

Reload MRMS data¶

1. Log onto the HPC (Hera) as the role.amb-verif role account. If you cannot become role.amb-verif, please let us know and we will have you added.

2. Go to the directory /home/role.amb-verif/VERIF/verif/cref/NSSL/retro. Check to see if the MRMS CREF analysis files for your period are already there. If not, modify the cref.ksh script in that directory to pull back the files from our AVID archive on HPSS.

Process Grids¶

1. Go to the /home/role.amb-verif/VERIF/xml/retro directory and make copies of both the rocoto XML file, cref_retro.xml, and the submission script, submit_cref_retro.

2. In your copy of the XML file, modify the following XML variables:

• ENTITIES

  • {HRRR,RRFS,MPAS, etc.}_EXP - name of your retro experiment. This name will be added to the {MODEL}ret_ prefix in the verification database and on MATS.

  • {MODEL}_DIR - path to your retro output. Be sure to only include the structure up to the date/cycle level directory. The verification scripts will handle the conventions from there, with the following supported:

  model name	expected directory/filename convention
  HRRRret_{case_name}	{MODEL_DIR}/{YYYYMMDDHH}/postprd/wrftwo_hrconus_{FF}.grib2
  RRFSret_{case_name}	{MODEL_DIR}/{YYYYMMDDHH}/postprd/RRFS_CONUS.t{HH}z.bgrd3df{FFF}.tm00.grib2
  RRFS_NA_3kmret_{case_name}	{MODEL_DIR}/{YYYYMMDDHH}/postprd/hrrr_grid/RRFS_NA_3km.t{HH}z.bgrd3df{FFF}.tm00.grib2
  RRFS_NA_13kmret_{case_name}	{MODEL_DIR}/{YYYYMMDDHH}/postprd/130_grid/RRFS_NA_13km.t{HH}z.bgrd3df{FFF}.tm00.grib2
  RRFSv2_conus_3km_ret_{case_name}	{MODEL_DIR}/rrfs.{YYYYMMDD}/{HH}/upp/det/rrfs.t{HH}z.testbed.f{FFF}.conus.grib2

• Workflow

  • Start and end date - in the <cycledef> field at the top of the <workflow> section

• Ensure your task section ([model]_cref_init task and verif metatask) and is activated based on the type of retro you are processing

• Database task (cref_db)

  • Ensure that your type of retro {MODEL}_EXP is active (uncommented) in the MODELDIRS and MODELNAMES variable fields

  • Ensure that the dependency <taskdep> activated matches your type so the task will run properly

3. Modify your submission script (submit_cref_retro) to look at your XML file and designate a new Rocoto database file.

4. Add the submission script to the role.amb-verif crontab and monitor via Rocoto workflow.

5. Model grids and statistics/CTC output will be available in the /home/role.amb-verif/VERIF/verif/cref/{MODEL}/retro/{MODEL}_EXP directory

Load metadata to populate MATS¶

1. Results should appear on MATS the following morning, but a metadata scan can be run to expedite the process. As role.amb-verif on Hera, run

~/mats_metadata/update_metadata_cref.py {HRRR,RRFS,MPAS}ret_{case_name} (matches the “MODELNAMES” variable in the database task)

If you see a >0 number of records found in the output, your retro is stored in the database with metadata enabled.

2. The final step is to refresh the metadata inside the MATS client using the following URL: https://gsl.noaa.gov/mats/radar/refreshMetadata. Once complete, return to the radar app home page and check the data source drop down for your retro. If present, you are free to create plots.

If you encounter any issues during any of the steps outlined here, on any HPC system, please contact the MATS team (mats.gsl@noaa.gov).