Performance Analysis of WRF-Hydro Parameterization Schemes in Simulating Flooding over Eastern Kentucky

Aiming to better understand the influence of physical parameterization schemes on model simulations of flooding in variable topography, this study simulates the July 26-30, 2022 extreme precipitation event in mountainous Eastern Kentucky using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric model and the WRF-Hydro hydrological model. The WRF is run in standalone mode and in coupled mode with WRF-Hydro, with varying combinations of parameterization schemes to determine the ideal model configuration for this region. The model results will be verified against Stage IV radar precipitation estimation data using RMSE, BIAS, fBIAS (frequency bias), and unconditional spatial correlation, then ranked based on a composite score. Particularly in variable topography, it is vital to have accurate representations of precipitation, runoff, and streamflow for flooding prediction and management.