Validation of a limited area model in cases of mediterranean cyclogenesis: Surface fields and precipitation scores

Abstract

We have examined the performance of a limited-area mesoscale model of our design in cases of winter cyclones over the southern European-central Mediterranean area with particular ticular attention to standard precipitation statistical scores (bias, threat score, false alarms), obtaining results which compare favourably with other state-of-the-art LAM's documented in the literature. The model, which we briefly describe here, uses standard procedures and includes Geleyn's radiation package and Emanuel's moist convective adjustment scheme. We also discuss the model's performance from the viewpoint of individual surface fields, which display a variety of-mesoscale features correctly reproducing, in most cases, those of the observed fields. The latter have been re-analyzed for this purpose using conventional SYNOP data and ECMWF analyses as first guess.