Analog

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-000132",
  "term": "Analog",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definitions": [
    "A past atmospheric or oceanic state that closely resembles a current or forecast state, used to infer future conditions. It involves identifying historical weather patterns that share similar characteristics with present observations. This concept forms the basis of analog forecasting, where the evolution of the past event is used as a guide for the future.",
    "1. Class of measuring devices in which the output varies continuously as a function of the input (non-digital).\n\n2. A historical instance of a given meteorological scenario or feature that is used for comparison with another scenario or feature. For example, a long-range forecaster predicting conditions for the upcoming winter may make comparisons to analog seasons in which meteorological factors were similar to those of the upcoming season.",
    "Past atmospheric or oceanic states that closely resemble a current or forecast state, used to predict future conditions. Meteorologists identify these similar historical patterns to infer the likely evolution of weather systems. Analog forecasting relies on the assumption that similar initial conditions will lead to similar subsequent developments."
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "model output statistics",
    "perfect prognosis method"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/analog/"
}