Evaluation of Wrf Real-Time Forecast during MC3E Period: Sensitivity of Model Configuration for Diurnal Precipitation Variation

The WRF-ARW model with high resolution was employed for the real-time forecast during the MC3E field campaign period (April 22 - June 6, 2011) over the SGP region. The model features new Goddard microphysics (Lang et al. 2011) and Goddard radiation schemes, and runs twice a day with 00Z and 12Z forecast cycle. Our primary goal is to examine the model's ability to simulate diurnal variation of precipitation and to identify physical processes that are essential for improving the forecast skills. The studies consisted with the comparisons among a composite of the WRF simulations during the campaign period with NLDAS (North-American Land Data Assimilation Systems) and NAM (North America Mesoscale Model) forecast. A set of the WRF simulations with different physics parameterization schemes and with different horizontal resolutions are also conducted to investigate effects of the model resolution and physics schemes on the propagating rainfall system over the SGP site. Results showed that the WRF simulation with fine (2km of grid spacing) and intermediate (6 ~ 10km of grid spacing) resolution with parameterized convective schemes could reproduce reasonable MCS propagation, thus diurnal rainfall cycles over the SGP site. However, even if using the same convective parameterization, with the coarse-resolution (18~30km of grid spacing) configuration, the WRF simulation do not capture the MCS propagation reasonably. This means that model effective resolution (10 times of grid spacing) needs to be less than 100km (i.e., 10km of grid spacing), which is close to the typical Rossby Radius of deformation in the Mid-latitude summertime disturbance (100~150km distance). In addition, hail option in the Goddard microphysics appears to be an effective option to reproduce a more realistic continental MCS structure in the WRF simulations.