On the use of MM5 in an aviation weather forecast system

A key component of the Advanced Operational Aviation Weather System (AOAWS) being developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) of Taiwan is the MM5 model. The Pennsylvania State University / NCAR mesoscale model Version 5 (MM5, Dudhia 1993; Grell et al. 1994) is a nonhydrostatic, primitive equation mesoscale weather forecast model in wide use around the world. The flexibility of the MM5 system, along with the availability of inexpensive yet fast computers permits users to produce their own mesoscale forecasts of the kind (or better then those) previously only produced by operational centers. Having local control of a mesoscale model allows users to produce tailored forecast products.

In this paper, a description of the AOAWS MM5 system will be given, including details of the domain configuration, physical parameterizations, and initial data. Examples of standard forecast products as well as aviation-specific forecast products will be shown, along with case studies of weather-related aircraft incidents in order to demonstrate the usefulness of such a mesoscale forecast system.

References

Dudhia, J., 1993: A nonhydrostatic version of the Penn State / NCAR mesoscale model: Validation tests and simulation of an Atlantic cyclone and cold front. Mon. Wea. Rev. 121 1493-1513.

Grell, G. A., J. Dudhia and D. R. Stauffer, 1994: A description of the fifth-generation Penn State / NCAR mesoscale model (MM5). NCAR Tech. Note, NCAR/TN-398+STR, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 138 pp.