Add NOAA RRFS
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Hello, I was wondering if there was any thought or development to add the new NOAA Rapid Refresh Forecast System (RRFS) model to Windy?
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Hi @adetzel17, thank you for letting us know. RRFS is definitely on our radar and last time we checked, it was still in experimental phase. We'll examine it more and if it fits our needs and needs of our users, we will add it
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I have heard that the NWS has recently issued a statement that they will be retiring the NAM set of models on August 31st of this year. This means that the NAM 3km currently on Windy will no longer operate past this date. The NWS will replace this model with RRFS, which is moving out of experimental phase from that date onward. There could be a good chance that Windy considers adding this model in the coming months, though it's up to the Windy team to decide on this change. I think it is was worth noting ahead of time on this. The HRRR model will continue to be operational for at least a few years if not longer.
Link to Statement:
https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf_2026/scn26-48_RRFS_and_REFS_Implementation.pdf -
@Filip_K is the RRFS still in the works? The NWS statement of retiring the NAM combined with the RRFS moving out of experimental is a big push.
Plus, the RRFS pushes out further than the HRRR, while also being high resolution. I’ve been using it via their DESI tool that’s public facing and found it to be very helpful.
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@suty Does Windy have any update on RRFS being added? The data is already available and will move from Experimental to production later this year.
We'll be losing the NAM here in North America/Alaska/Hawaii, so this will be an important tool to have, especially given it pushes out 84 hours vs the NAMs 60 and also updates every hour for 18 hours out like the HRRR currently does.
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@illili Hello, right now, I don't have any specific news about this project on our end, however, it is possible it will be started when our colleague comes back from the vacation at the end of the summer. At least I will have more info about this for you.
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@Suty I appreciate the update and look forward to hearing more later this year!
Cheers
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It is likely that the Trump/DOGE cuts are going to affect the rollout and quality of new NOAA/NWS models.
The RRFS data was moved off Amazon into NOAA infrastructure, where the team is much more resource constrained and the amount of data available has been reduced. The operational date also slipped repeatedly (from "early 2026" to August 31 to October 6, 2026), though the stated reasons were evaluation results and weather-delay contingencies rather than budget. On the research side, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Warn-on-Forecast, and other research-to-operations efforts remain on the chopping block in the current request, and these feed the long-term RRFSv2/MPAS roadmap.
No model has been cancelled or clearly delayed because of the cuts, but the labs producing them have been under a standing threat of closure for two budget cycles, have absorbed workforce losses, and are running the RRFS transition leaner than planned. Whether the FY2027 fight ends the same way as FY2026 is still open.
