Predictability of the Wintertime 500 hPa Geopotential Height over Ural-Siberia in the NCEP Climate Forecast System

<p><span>Using hindcast and forecastdata from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2)for the period 1982-2017, we comprehensively assess the predictability of the climatology, interannual variability, and dominant modes of the wintertime 500 hPa geopotential height over Ural-Siberia (40-80</span><span>°N</span><span>and 30-100</span><span>°</span><span>E)</span><span>. Although the climatic mean 500 hPa heightover Ural-Siberia simulated by NCEP CFSv2has a negative bias, especially over the eastern part of the region, NCEP CFSv2 well predicts the spatial distribution of the two major modes(EOF1 and EOF2) over this region 2 months in advance.The forecasting skill of the </span><span>principal component (PC) of the </span><span>two major modes,</span><span>PC1 (</span><span>PC2), is highest1 (0) month in advance, where the linear correlation coefficient between the predicted and observed time series reaches +0.36 (+0.67), exceeding the 95% confidence level. Conversely, the forecasting skill of PC1 (PC2) is very low 0 (1) month in advance. The main reason for the </span><span>poorer</span><span>(better) prediction of PC1 0 (1) month in advance is associated with a less (more) accurate response of the Eurasian teleconnection to SST anomalies over the southwestern Atlantic. For PC2, </span><span>the better (poorer) prediction of PC2 </span><span>0 (1) </span><span>month in advance may be due to more (less) accurate responses of the stratospheric polar vortex and the Scandinavian teleconnection to the dipole SST anomalies over the North Pacific. These results are useful for evaluating the predictability of the East Asian winter climate.</span></p>

Winter Storm Tracks and Related Weather in the NCEP Climate Forecast System Weeks 3–4 Reforecasts for North America

This article examines to what extent the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) weeks 3–4 reforecasts reproduce the CFS Reanalysis (CFSR) storm-track properties, and if so, whether the storm-track behavior can contribute to the prediction of related winter weather in North America. The storm tracks are described by objectively tracking isentropic potential vorticity (PV) anomalies for two periods (base, 1983–2002; validation, 2003–10) to assess their value in a more realistic forecast mode. Statistically significant positive PV biases are found in the storm-track reforecasts. Removal of systematic errors is found to improve general storm-track features. CFSR and Reforecast (CFSRR) reproduces well the observed intensity and spatial distributions of storm-track-related near-surface winds, with small yet significant biases found in the storm-track regions. Removal of the mean wind bias further reduces the error on average by 12%. The spatial distributions of the reforecast precipitation correspond well with the reanalysis, although significant positive biases are found across the contiguous United States. Removal of the precipitation bias reduces the error on average by 25%. The bias-corrected fields better depict the observed variability and exhibit additional improvements in the representation of winter weather associated with strong-storm tracks (the storms with more intense PV). Additionally, the reforecasts reproduce the characteristic intensity and frequency of hazardous strong-storm winds. The findings suggest a potential use of storm-track statistics in the advancement of subseasonal-to-seasonal weather prediction in North America.

Evaluation of the NCEP Climate Forecast System and Its Downscaling for Seasonal Rainfall Prediction over Vietnam

This study investigates the ability to apply National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFS) products and their downscaling by using the Regional Climate Model version 4.2 (RegCM4.2) on seasonal rainfall forecasts over Vietnam. First, the CFS hindcasts (CFS_Rfc) from 1982 to 2009 are used to assess the ability of the CFS to predict the overall circulation and precipitation patterns at forecast lead times of up to 6 months. Second, the operational CFS forecasts (CFS_Ope) and its RegCM4.2 downscaling (RegCM_CFS) for the period 2012–14 are used to derive seasonal rainfall forecasts over Vietnam. The CFS_Rfc and CFS_Ope are validated against the ECMWF interim reanalysis, the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) analyzed rainfall, and observations from 150 meteorological stations across Vietnam. The results show that the CFS_Rfc can capture the seasonal variability of the Asian monsoon circulation and rainfall distribution. The higher-resolution RegCM_CFS product is advantageous over the raw CFS in specific climatic subregions during the transitional, dry, and rainy seasons, particularly in the northern part of Vietnam in January and in the country’s central highlands during July.

Improved Tropical Modes of Variability in the NCEP Climate Forecast System (Version 2) via a Stochastic Multicloud Model

A stochastic multicloud model (SMCM) convective parameterization, which mimics the interactions at subgrid scales of multiple cloud types, is incorporated into the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), model (CFSsmcm) in lieu of the preexisting simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) cumulus scheme. A detailed analysis of the tropical intraseasonal variability (TISV) and convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEW) in comparison with the original (control) model and with observations is presented here. The last 10 years of a 15-yr-long climate simulation are analyzed. Significant improvements are seen in the simulation of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and most of the CCEWs as well as the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) intraseasonal oscillation (MISO). These improvements appear in the form of improved morphology and physical features of these waves. This can be regarded as a validation of the central idea behind the SMCM according to which organized tropical convection is based on three cloud types, namely, the congestus, deep, and stratiform cloud decks, that interact with each other and form a building block for multiscale convective systems. An adequate accounting of the dynamical interactions of this cloud hierarchy thus constitutes an important requirement for cumulus parameterizations to succeed in representing atmospheric tropical variability. SAS fails to fulfill this requirement, which is evident in the unrealistic physical structures of the major intraseasonal modes simulated by CFSv2 as documented here.