Evaluation of modeled summertime convective storms using polarimetric radar observations

Abstract

Abstract. Ensemble simulations were conducted for three summertime convective storms over a temperate region in northwestern Germany using the Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform (TSMP). The simulated microphysical processes were evaluated with polarimetric observations from two X-band radars, with the help of a forward operator applied to the model data. TSMP was found to generally underestimate the convective area fraction, high reflectivities, and the width/magnitude of so-called differential reflectivity (ZDR) columns indicative of updrafts, all leading to an underestimation of the frequency distribution for high precipitation values. The statistical distributions of ZDR and specific differential phase (KDP) were however similar, while the cross-correlation coefficient (phv) was poorly simulated, probably due to little variability of assumed hydrometeor shapes and orientations in the forward operator. The observed model bias in the ZDR columns could be associated with small size of supercooled raindrops and poorly resolved three dimensional flow at km-scale simulations, besides the treatment of freezing process in the model, which warrants further research.