A new double-moment bulk cloud microphysics scheme, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double-Moment 6-class (WDM6) Microphysics scheme, which is based on the WRF Single-Moment 6-class (WSM6) Microphysics scheme, has been developed. In addition to the prediction for the mixing ratios of six water species (water vapor, cloud droplets, cloud ice, snow, rain, and graupel) in the WSM6 scheme, the number concentrations for cloud and rainwater are also predicted in the WDM6 scheme, together with a prognostic variable of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration. The new scheme was evaluated on an idealized 2D thunderstorm test bed. Compared to the simulations from the WSM6 scheme, there are greater differences in the droplet concentration between the convective core and stratiform region in WDM6. The reduction of light precipitation and the increase of moderate precipitation accompanying a marked radar bright band near the freezing level from the WDM6 simulation tend to alleviate existing systematic biases in the case of the WSM6 scheme. The strength of this new microphysics scheme is its ability to allow flexibility in variable raindrop size distribution by predicting the number concentrations of clouds and rain, coupled with the explicit CCN distribution, at a reasonable computational cost.

This study demonstrates the characteristics of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double-Moment 6-Class (WDM6) Microphysics scheme for representing precipitating moist convection in 3D platforms, relative to the WSM6 scheme that has been widely used in the WRF community. For a case study of convective system over the Great Plains, the WDM6 scheme improves the evolutionary features such as the bow-type echo in the leading edge of the squall line. We also found that the WRF with WDM6 scheme removes spurious oceanic rainfall that is a systematic defect resulting from the use of the WSM6 scheme alone. The simulated summer monsoon rainfall in East Asia is improved by weakening (strengthening) light (heavy) precipitation activity. These changes can be explained by the fact that the WDM6 scheme has a wider range in cloud and rain number concentrations than does the WSM6 scheme.

Here we present a simple method of improving bulk mixed-phase microphysical schemes to allow for a more realistic representation of partially rimed particles. The new procedure unifies the snow and graupel particles by assigning a single fallspeed to both that is weighted by the mixing ratios, and applying that fallspeed to both sedimentation and accretion processes. This avoids the problem of the species separating out by sedimentation as graupel forms, and the further problem of graupel then accreting snow too quickly because of its high relative fallspeed. Instead the unified graupel/snow moves together and evolves in its relative ratio due to riming, behaving as intermediate or partially rimed particles.Tests of the new method were carried out using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) SingleMoment 6-class (WSM6) microphysics scheme in a high-resolution idealized simulation, and mesoscale heavy precipitation events in the summer and winter over Korea. The effect of the new accretion rates on cloud structure and precipitation was found to be greater than that of the changed sedimentation alone. Verification of these tests showed a much-reduced production of graupel and more snow, influencing the cloud structure and surface precipitation fields. The scheme shows promise in improving precipitation intensity and precipitation type forecasts.

The sensitivity of a cumulus parameterization scheme (CPS) to a representation of precipitation production is examined. To do this, the parameter that determines the fraction of cloud condensate converted to precipitation in the simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) convection scheme is modified following the results from a cloud-resolving simulation. While the original conversion parameter is assumed to be constant, the revised parameter includes a temperature dependency above the freezing level, which leads to less production of frozen precipitating condensate with height. The revised CPS has been evaluated for a heavy rainfall event over Korea as well as medium-range forecasts using the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs). The inefficient conversion of cloud condensate to convective precipitation at colder temperatures generally leads to a decrease in precipitation, especially in the category of heavy rainfall. The resultant increase of detrained moisture induces moistening and cooling at the top of clouds. A statistical evaluation of the medium-range forecasts with the revised precipitation conversion parameter shows an overall improvement of the forecast skill in precipitation and large-scale fields, indicating importance of more realistic representation of microphysical processes in CPSs.

Regional convection-permitting model simulations of cloud populations observed during the 2011 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Madden-Julian Oscillation Investigation Experiment/Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation Experiment (AMIE/DYNAMO) field campaign are evaluated against ground-based radar and ship-based observations. Sensitivity of model simulated reflectivity, surface rain rate, and cold pool statistics to variations of raindrop breakup/self-collection parameters in four state-of-the-art two-moment bulk microphysics schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is examined. The model simulations generally overestimate reflectivity from large and deep convective cells, and underestimate stratiform rain and the frequency of cold pools. In the sensitivity experiments, introduction of more aggressive raindrop breakup or decreasing the self-collection efficiency increases the cold pool occurrence frequency in all of the simulations, and slightly reduces the reflectivity and precipitation statistics bias in some schemes but has little effect on the overall mean surface precipitation. Both the radar observations and model simulations of cloud populations show an approximate power law relationship between convective echo-top height and equivalent convective cell radius.