Open AccessEnhanced short‐range forecasting of sub‐inversion cloudiness in complex terrain
Author(s) -
Kann Alexander,
SchellanderGorgas Theresa,
Wittmann Christoph
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl2.511
Subject(s) - nowcasting , terrain , meteorology , inversion (geology) , numerical weather prediction , remote sensing , computer science , environmental science , cloud cover , range (aeronautics) , climatology , cloud computing , geography , geology , cartography , aerospace engineering , engineering , paleontology , structural basin , operating system
Accurate spatial and temporal forecasts of fog and low cloud occurrence are still a challenging research topic due to the complexity of its physics. In the nowcasting range, observation‐based techniques are often superior to numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and provide useful guidelines for operational forecasters. This article proposes a low stratus nowcasting scheme which merges station measurements, satellite data, a nowcasting technique and NWP data at a very high horizontal resolution (1 km). Case studies and a comprehensive validation over Austria reveal that the proposed approach of parameterizing sub‐inversion cloudiness adds value especially in complex terrain and even for longer lead times due to the dynamic design of the method.