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HAFS v2.2 proposal adds 10 m wind gust to GRIB2 hurricane products

NWS proposed HAFS v2.2 with UFS, physics, ocean, data assimilation, and tracker updates, plus one product change: 10 m wind gust added to GRIB2 output.

NOAA/NWS issued PNS 26-15 on March 3, 2026, soliciting comments through April 5, 2026 on a proposed Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS) v2.2 upgrade.

The notice is relevant to GRIB users because NOAA lists one product change: wind gust at 10 m above ground would be added to the GRIB2 product. HAFS products would continue to be available through NOMADS.

Science changes in the proposal

HAFS v2.2 is proposed for the operational HAFS-A and HAFS-B configurations:

  • HAFS-A: global tropical-storm prediction
  • HAFS-B: basin-scale prediction for the North Atlantic and Eastern/Central North Pacific

NOAA lists these science changes:

  • model code updates based on a newer UFS revision
  • scale-aware 3D-TKE EDMF planetary-boundary-layer scheme
  • Noah-MP land-surface model
  • transition from RRTMG to RRTMGP radiation
  • variable PBL mixing length scales based on wind speed and PBL height
  • updated MOM6 and WAVEWATCH III submodules
  • vortex-initialization and data-assimilation updates, including adjusted warm cycling, storm-perturbation smoothing, a newer GSI submodule, adjusted IAU window, TDR superobbing, commercial GPS RO data, and sUAS observations
  • updated GFDL hurricane tracker

Product change

NOAA says there is only one product change:

  • add 10 m wind gust to the GRIB2 product

The notice says there are no other product changes, and HAFS products will continue to be available from NOMADS web services.

What this means for GribStream users

GribStream does not currently expose HAFS as a model. This proposal still fits the NOMADS-GRIB roadmap because HAFS publishes GRIB2 products on NOMADS and the proposed v2.2 change adds a concrete new GRIB2 variable.

For users who ingest HAFS directly, the important operational check is simple: if v2.2 is finalized, downstream schemas and decoders should expect a new 10 m wind gust field in the GRIB2 output. The notice does not announce a final implementation date; it says a final Service Change Notice would follow if the upgrade is approved.

Sources

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