Performance of the New NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System in a Parallel Experiment

Abstract

A new version of the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS, v11) is tested and compared with the operational version (v10) in a 2-yr parallel run. The breeding-based scheme with ensemble transformation and rescaling (ETR) used in the operational GEFS is replaced by the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) to generate initial ensemble perturbations. The global medium-range forecast model and the Global Forecast System (GFS) analysis used as the initial conditions are upgraded to the GFS 2015 implementation version. The horizontal resolution of GEFS increases from Eulerian T254 (~52 km) for the first 8 days of the forecast and T190 (~70 km) for the second 8 days to semi-Lagrangian T574 (~34 km) and T382 (~52 km), respectively. The sigma pressure hybrid vertical layers increase from 42 to 64 levels. The verification of geopotential height, temperature, and wind fields at selected levels shows that the new GEFS significantly outperforms the operational GEFS up to days 8–10 except for an increased warm bias over land in the extratropics. It is also found that the parallel system has better reliability in the short-range probability forecasts of precipitation during warm seasons, but no clear improvement in cold seasons. There is a significant degradation of TC track forecasts at days 6–7 during the 2012–14 TC seasons over the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. This degradation is most likely a sampling issue from a low number of TCs during these three TC seasons. The results for an extended verification period (2011–14) and the recent two hurricane seasons (2015 and 2016) are generally positive. The new GEFS became operational at NCEP on 2 December 2015.

Sensitivities of the WRF Lightning Forecasting Algorithm to Parameterized Microphysics and Boundary Layer Schemes

“…Initialization was accomplished in cold-start mode, using an arbitrary but consistent set of 12 members of the randomized Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS; Zhou et al 2017) data. To eliminate model spinup effects, and to focus unambiguously and without redundancy on the local daily convective cycle, analyses were limited to forecast times from 6 to 30 h inclusive.…”

Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) Predictions of Days 1–15 U.S. Tornado and Hail Frequencies

“…These global data consist of a 21‐member ensemble (20 perturbed members and 1 control member) at 1° × 1° horizontal grid spacing spanning temporally from initialization to 384 hr (16 days). Native horizontal grid spacing is T574 (∼34 km) for the first 8 days and T382 (∼52 km) for the second 8 days (Zhou et al, 2017/07/19, ). SCP was calculated on the 6‐hourly post processed GEFS output following a fixed‐layer approach similar to equation (3) in Thompson et al () where muCAPE (J/kg) represents convective available potential energy (CAPE) associated with the most unstable parcel in the lowest 255 mb of the model.…”

“…These global data consist of a 21-member ensemble (20 perturbed members and 1 control member) at 1 • × 1 • horizontal grid spacing spanning temporally from initialization to 384 hr (16 days). Native horizontal grid spacing is T574 (∼34 km) for the first 8 days and T382 (∼52 km) for the second 8 days (Zhou et al, 2017(Zhou et al, /07/19, 2017. SCP was calculated on the 6-hourly post processed GEFS output following a fixed-layer approach similar to equation (3) in Thompson et al (2003)…”

Improvement of the 24 hr forecast of surface UV radiation using an ensemble approach

“…The GEFS is produced four times per day with a 6 hr interval starting at 0000 GMT. The resolution of the IBC data is approximately 34 km horizontally and 64 hybrid vertical levels (Zhou et al, 2017). The ensemble system has 20 perturbation members and one control member.…”