COMET Training on the Use of High-Resolution Models

Convection-allowing models (run at fine grid spacing without a convective parameterization) have become a valuable tool for operational forecasters in the US National Weather Service as well as the private sector and in other countries. These models have been transitioning from the research community to the operational community for quite some time now, and their use by forecasters has been increasingly rapidly in the past few years. The forecasts produced from these models sometimes have strikingly realistic details and structure which can erroneously lead forecasters to believe exactly that event will happen while other times the mesoscale features of high amplitude can mask the synoptic signatures, leading forecasters to dismiss a very good forecast. Also, forecasters often assume the model can represent details at finer scales than it actually can.

COMET has published a training module found online at http://meted.ucar.edu/nwp/hires/ to help forecasters most effectively utilize the forecasts from convection-allowing models. Additionally, COMET is developing a module on downscaling which includes high-resolution models among the various downscaling tools, and COMET is developing additional content on high-resolution models run at NCEP.

This poster will provide a look inside these training resources, helping to publicize them to a wide audience so that they may fulfill their training role for all who may benefit.