NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Verification of CVA (Ceiling and Visibility Analysis)

While CVA provides an accurate representation of observed conditions at METAR locations, only estimated conditions are available at regions between METAR sites, and these estimates are subject to error.

NOAA carried out a study comparing CVA ceiling and visibility estimates with actual observations. Understanding the results of the study can improve a user?s understanding of how to best use the CVA product. The study is entitled, NCVA_D4_SUB_REGION_ENHANCEMENT_FINAL.pdf

Access to CVA Grids

CVA grids are made available by the NWS (National Weather Service) as GRIB2 (GRIdded Binary) files for distribution and archive via NOAAPORT (for subscribers) and via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) from the NWSTG (National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway).