A MC3E Squall line simulated by three bin microphysics schemes: comparisons between model results and observations

 

Authors

Andrew Heymsfield — National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Wojciech Grabowski — National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Hugh Clifton Morrison — University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Jiwen Fan — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Aaron Bansemer — National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Lulin Xue — National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Istvan Geresdi — University of Pecs
Roy M. Rasmussen — National Center for Atmospheric Research
Zachary John Lebo — University of Wyoming
Xia Chu —

Category

Mesoscale Convective Organization and Cold Pools

Description

A squall line event on May 20, 2011, during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) was simulated using three state-of-the-art bin microphysics schemes coupled with the Weather Forecast and Research (WRF) model in a three-dimensional quasi-idealized setup. Driven by the observed pre-storm sounding, all schemes simulated squall lines that compared quantitatively well against various observations. Specifically, this work presents model-observation comparisons for 1) C-band radar reflectivities, 2) radar-derived vertical velocities, 3) low-level temperatures from Mesonet, 4) precipitation amounts and rates from Mesonet and 5) hydrometeor size distributions from the Citation aircraft. The comparisons indicate that the different bin schemes simulated qualitatively similar domain-wide properties, although substantial small-scale differences were identified. Such model validations provide confidence for further investigations of microphysical processes that are critical to understanding the structure of squall lines.