Configure

The behavior of TC-Pairs is controlled by the contents of the configuration file passed to it on the command line. The default TC-Pairs configuration file may be found in the $MET_BASE/config/TCPairsConfig_default file. Prior to modifying the configuration file, users are advised to make a copy of the default:

The configurable items for TC-Pairs are used to filter the desired track data, create derived tracks, and specify supplemental track information:

• Filter track data by model, storm ID, basin, cyclone number, storm name, initialization time, valid time, and geographic area. Only those tracks meeting all of the criteria specified are retained.
• Derive new tracks by applying interp12 logic, defining a consensus (i.e. average) track, specifying lagged forecast tracks, or enabling the derivation of CLIPER/SHIFOR tracks from BEST and operational tracks.
• Specify the distance to land file.
• Specify watch/warning information to be incorporated into the paired track data.

You may find a complete description of the configurable items in the MET Users Guide or in the $MET_BASE/config/README_TC file. Please take some time to review them.

For this tutorial, we'll run TC-Pairs to verify multiple initializations for Hurricane Sandy, a large storm which affected the East Coast of the United States in 2012. Operational and analysis tracks for Hurricane Sandy are included in the tutorial test data.

Open up the $MET_TUTORIAL_DATA/config/TCPairsConfig file for editing with your preferred text editor and edit it as follows:

• Set the model entry to list the forecast tracks of interest:
  
  model = [ "OFCL", "GFDL", "AVNO", "HWRF", "UKM", "OCD5" ];
• Set the storm_id entry to only retain the 18th major storm of 2012 in the Atlantic basin:
  
  storm_id = [ "AL182012" ];

  Since we will only pass TC-Pairs data for this storm, this step is not absolutely necessary.

• Point to the TC-Dland output for the northwest hemisphere, which include the Atlantic basin:
  
  dland_file = "${MET_BASE}/tc_data/dland_nw_hem_tenth_degree.nc";

Save and close this file.