An Evaluation of Dynamical Downscaling of Central Plains Summer Precipitation using a WRF-Based Regional Climate Model at a Convection-Permitting 4 km Resolution

Abstract (from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JD024796/abstract): A significant challenge with dynamical downscaling of climate simulations is the ability to accurately represent convection and precipitation. The use of convection-permitting resolutions avoids cumulus parameterization, which is known to be a large source of uncertainty. A regional climate model (RCM) based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model is configured with a 4 km grid spacing and applied to the U.S. Great Plains, a region characterized by many forms of weather and climate extremes. The 4 km RCM is evaluated by running it in a hindcast mode over the central U.S. region for a 10 year period, forced at the boundary by the 32 km North America [...]