<p>I spotted that a scientific paper [1] uses the &quot;lead time&quot; term, and then its definition [2] was found from the Glossary of Meteorology by the American Meteorological Society.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>forecast lead time</strong></p>
<p>The length of time between the issuance of a forecast and the
occurrence of the phenomena that were predicted.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>[1] <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3103/S106837391405001X" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://link.springer.com/article/10.3103/S106837391405001X</a></p>
<p>[2] <a href="http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Forecast_lead_time" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Forecast_lead_time</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-13T12:51:20.057Z
2020-02-13T12:51:20.057Z
2020-06-18T08:25:19.090Z
Ilirium
<p>Each hourly weather forecast has two columns with date and time. The first column: forecast creation date and time (the column (1) in a table below). The second column: forecast hour (the column (2) in the table below).</p>

<p>Is there an established term for the second column? Points? Slices?</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/USNY0996:1:US" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Weather Company</a> uses 'Time' name for this column.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/model-data/model-datasets/global-forcast-system-gfs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NOAA</a> uses 'Output Timestep' name for this column in the GFS forecast model.</li>
</ul>

<p>And also, is there the right term for the first column?</p>

<pre><code>Table with example of hourly weather forecast
+--------------------+---------------+----------------+
| Forecast Creation  | Forecast Hour | Temperature, K |
| Date and Time (1)  |       (2)     |      (3)       |
+--------------------+---------------+----------------+
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +0            | 303            |
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +3            | 305            |
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +6            | 307            |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +0            | 307            |
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +3            | 308            |
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +6            | 309            |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
</code></pre>

<terminology>
Is there the right term for time points in hourly weather forecast?
Ilirium
# Is there the right term for time points in hourly weather forecast?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-27)

Each hourly weather forecast has two columns with date and time. The first column: forecast creation date and time (the column (1) in a table below). The second column: forecast hour (the column (2) in the table below).
Is there an established term for the second column? Points? Slices?

The Weather Company uses 'Time' name for this column.
NOAA uses 'Output Timestep' name for this column in the GFS forecast model.

And also, is there the right term for the first column?
Table with example of hourly weather forecast
+--------------------+---------------+----------------+
| Forecast Creation  | Forecast Hour | Temperature, K |
| Date and Time (1)  |       (2)     |      (3)       |
+--------------------+---------------+----------------+
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +0            | 303            |
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +3            | 305            |
| 2019-03-28, 00-00  | +6            | 307            |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +0            | 307            |
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +3            | 308            |
| 2019-03-28, 06-00  | +6            | 309            |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Tags:** terminology


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2020-02-13. Score: 3

I spotted that a scientific paper [1] uses the "lead time" term, and then its definition [2] was found from the Glossary of Meteorology by the American Meteorological Society.

> **forecast lead time**
>
> The length of time between the issuance of a forecast and the
> occurrence of the phenomena that were predicted.

[1] <https://link.springer.com/article/10.3103/S106837391405001X>

[2] <http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Forecast_lead_time>


---

