<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](https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/USNY0996:1:US) uses 'Time' name for this column.
* [NOAA](https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/model-data/model-datasets/global-forcast-system-gfs) 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>


---

