ALPW in AWIPS via SBN
As of Spring 2025, the Advected Layer Precipitable Water (ALPW) product became more widely available for NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters to access and utilize in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System – II (AWIPS-II) via Satellite Broadcast Network (SBN). Within the AWIPS interface and menu, forecasters can click on the ‘Satellite’ tab, scroll down to ‘Polar Derived Products Imagery’, then click on ‘Advected Layered Precip Water (ALPW)’ and select one of the following precipitable water layers: surface to 850 hPa, 850 to 700 hPa, 700 to 500 hPa, and 500 to 300 hPa. Note, hectopascals (hPa) are equivalent to millibars (mb) with respect to units of pressure. Refer to the screenshot of the AWIPS menu below.
AWIPS Satellite Submenu to Access ALPW

Forecasters are encouraged to display the ALPW product in AWIPS-II via 4-panel layout to track the moisture plumes horizontally while identifying the vertical distribution of the moisture. The ALPW 4-panel animation below shows the surface to 850mb (top-left), 850-700mb (top-right), 700-500mb (bottom-left) and the 500-300mb (bottom-right) precipitable water layers from 29-30 April 2025. The animation highlights the rich, low level moisture (i.e., surface to 700mb) that migrates from the Gulf into the southern U.S. Within the 700-500mb layer, an upper level low can be identified spinning over the desert southwest, while on the southeast side of the low, an upper-level moisture plume advects to the northeast into the southern states. Sources of the upper-level moisture come from the East Pacific and northern Mexico.
ALPW observations from 5Z, 29 April 2025 to 5Z, 30 April 2025
The moisture plumes aided in the development of heavy precipitation and severe weather that occurred over the region. Refer to the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) 24-hour precipitation estimates below. Precipitation maxima can be found over southwestern Oklahoma, near the Oklahoma/Texas border.
National Water Prediction Service (NWPS): 24-hour Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (QPE)
12Z, 29 April 2025 to 12Z 30 April 2025

For users that do not have access to an AWIPS system, they can access the ALPW product online via CIRA webpages (i.e., near-real-time datasets here, via CIRA SLIDER, and archived data). The moisture product files can also be found on the AWS NOAA Open Data Dissemination (NODD) webpage. ALPW’s experimental products, Layered Vapor Transport (expressed in kg/m/s) and Percentile Rankings, can be accessed online too.
Users seeking ALPW training on its applications and utility in operations can take the product teletraining session via NOAA CLC, and/or access the session via web-based video.