Numerical Weather Prediction

Model information (Last updated: September 1, 2015)

The WRF (version 3.6.1) with Polar Mods (Polar WRF) setting is used in the real-time numerical weather predictions over the Greenland. The Polar Mods were developed by the Polar Meteorology Group at The Ohio State University to better handle Arctic/Antarctic conditions for forecasting purposes. In this configuration, the model consists of 421x481 grid points with a horizontal resolution 8 km. In vertical, the model has 48 terrain-following levels, and the top pressure is set to 10 hPa.

The Greenland WRF runs contain the following parameterization schemes:

  • Goddard GCE scheme
  • RRTMG radiation scheme
  • MYNN surface layer scheme
  • Noah Land Surface Model surface physics scheme
  • MYNN planetary boundary layer scheme
  • Kain-Fritsch (new Era) cumulus parameterization scheme

The model starts at 0000/1200 UTC as its initial times every day and produces a 96-hour prediction for the State of Ohio. The initial and boundary conditions are interpolated from the daily 0000/1200 UTC run of the Global Forecast System (GFS) issued by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).

Model output information

The following real-time model outputs are placed on the website:

  • Spatial Plots:
    • Near surface: 2m temperature, 10m wind and sea level pressure
    • 850 hPa temperature, wind and height
    • 700 hPa temperature, wind and height
    • 500 hPa temperature, wind and height
    • 6 hour total precipitation
    • 1000 to 500 hPa thickness and sea level pressure
    • 700 hPa relative humidity, wind and height
    • 500 hPa absoultely vorticity, wind and height
    • 300 hPa isotachs, wind and height
  • Skew-T/Log-P Diagrams: at selected stations
  • Time Series Plots: at selected stations

Any comments or questions about the real-time numerical weather prediction. Please mail to bromwich.1@osu.edu.