Sounding Analog Retrieval System (SARS)

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SARS is a sounding analog matching system that compares a current or forecast sounding to a database of historical proximity soundings. Based on several key parameters, the system returns matches with their date, location, and associated severe weather report. The matches come from a combined database of nearly 2000 proximity soundings for severe hail, supercells, and tornadoes. The matching parameters are based heavily on components of the Significant Tornado Parameter (Thompson et al. 2003) and the Significant Hail Parameter, but also incorporate additional fields that can be derived from soundings.

In addition to providing the forecaster with historical matches, SARS has been calibrated to produce probabilistic forecast output, such as probability of Significant Hail and of Tornadic Supercells.

For more information, please contact ryan.jewell@noaa.gov