Assessment of a Regional-Scale Weather Model for Hydrological Applications in South Korea

In this study, a regional numerical weather prediction (NWP) model known as the Weather Research Forescasting (WRF) model was adopted to improve the quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) by optimizing combined microphysics and cumulus parameterization schemes. Four locations in two regions (plain region for Sangkeug and Imsil; mountainous region for Dongchun and Bunchun) in Korean Peninsula were examined for QPF for two heavy rainfall events 2006 and 2008. The maximum Index of Agreement (IOA) was 0.96 at Bunchun in 2006 using the combined Thompson microphysics and the Grell cumulus parameterization schemes. Sensitivity of QPF on domain size at Sangkeug indicated that the localized smaller domain had 55% (from 0.35 to 0.90) improved precipitation accuracy based on IOA of 2008. For the July 2006 Sangkeug event, the sensitivity to cumulus parameterization schemes for precipitation prediction cannot be ignored with finer resolutions. In mountainous region, the combined Thompson microphysics and Grell cumulus parameterization schemes make a better quantitative precipitation forecast, while in plain region, the combined Thompson microphysics and Kain-Frisch cumulus parameterization schemes are the best.