Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy)
One of the most important challenges in atmospheric science and, in particular, in numerical weather predictions (NWP), is to forecast extreme weather events. These events affect very localized areas in space, recording high pluviometric accumulations in short time intervals. In this context, with t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/10/1717 |
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| author | Giuseppe Castorina Maria Teresa Caccamo Vincenzo Insinga Salvatore Magazù Gianmarco Munaò Claudio Ortega Agostino Semprebello Umberto Rizza |
| author_facet | Giuseppe Castorina Maria Teresa Caccamo Vincenzo Insinga Salvatore Magazù Gianmarco Munaò Claudio Ortega Agostino Semprebello Umberto Rizza |
| author_sort | Giuseppe Castorina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | One of the most important challenges in atmospheric science and, in particular, in numerical weather predictions (NWP), is to forecast extreme weather events. These events affect very localized areas in space, recording high pluviometric accumulations in short time intervals. In this context, with the present study, we aim to analyze the extreme meteorological event that occurred in the northwestern and eastern parts of Sicily on 15 July 2020, by using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model. In particular, during the afternoon, several storms affected those areas, causing intense precipitation, with maximum rainfall concentrated on the city of Palermo and in the Etna area. The rainfall at the end of the event reached 134 mm in Palermo and 49 mm in Catania, recorded by the Sicilian network meteorological stations. Because the event at Palermo was strongly localized, the analyses have been carried out by employing different sets of numerical simulations, by means of the WRF model, with horizontal spatial grid resolutions of 9, 3, and 1 km. Furthermore, the output of the performed simulation has been used to assess the thermodynamic profile and atmospheric instability indices. It allowed us to check the adopted parameters against those usually implemented in the flash flood scenario. By using the finest grid resolutions (3 and 1 km), the WRF model was able to provide more accurate predictions of the rainfall accumulation, even if they were strongly localized. Conversely, the implementation of less-refined spatial domain (9 km) did not allow us to obtain predictive estimates of precipitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:43:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-11bc4b3a61704818a80d0e5185f53b5b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:43:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-11bc4b3a61704818a80d0e5185f53b5b2023-11-23T22:52:41ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-10-011310171710.3390/atmos13101717Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy)Giuseppe Castorina0Maria Teresa Caccamo1Vincenzo Insinga2Salvatore Magazù3Gianmarco Munaò4Claudio Ortega5Agostino Semprebello6Umberto Rizza7Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)—Sezione di Palermo, Sede Operativa di Milazzo, Via dei Mille, 98057 Milazzo, ItalyConsorzio Interuniversitario di Scienze Fisiche Applicate (CISFA), Piazza Salvatore Pugliatti, 98123 Messina, ItalyConsorzio Interuniversitario di Scienze Fisiche Applicate (CISFA), Piazza Salvatore Pugliatti, 98123 Messina, ItalyConsorzio Interuniversitario di Scienze Fisiche Applicate (CISFA), Piazza Salvatore Pugliatti, 98123 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della Terra (MIFT), Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale F. Stagno D’Alcontres, 98166 Messina, ItalyAssociazione Meteo Professionisti (AMPRO), Via Francesco Morandini, 00142 Roma, ItalyIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)—Sezione di Palermo, Sede Operativa di Milazzo, Via dei Mille, 98057 Milazzo, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), National Research Council (CNR), Unit of Lecce, 73100 Lecce, ItalyOne of the most important challenges in atmospheric science and, in particular, in numerical weather predictions (NWP), is to forecast extreme weather events. These events affect very localized areas in space, recording high pluviometric accumulations in short time intervals. In this context, with the present study, we aim to analyze the extreme meteorological event that occurred in the northwestern and eastern parts of Sicily on 15 July 2020, by using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model. In particular, during the afternoon, several storms affected those areas, causing intense precipitation, with maximum rainfall concentrated on the city of Palermo and in the Etna area. The rainfall at the end of the event reached 134 mm in Palermo and 49 mm in Catania, recorded by the Sicilian network meteorological stations. Because the event at Palermo was strongly localized, the analyses have been carried out by employing different sets of numerical simulations, by means of the WRF model, with horizontal spatial grid resolutions of 9, 3, and 1 km. Furthermore, the output of the performed simulation has been used to assess the thermodynamic profile and atmospheric instability indices. It allowed us to check the adopted parameters against those usually implemented in the flash flood scenario. By using the finest grid resolutions (3 and 1 km), the WRF model was able to provide more accurate predictions of the rainfall accumulation, even if they were strongly localized. Conversely, the implementation of less-refined spatial domain (9 km) did not allow us to obtain predictive estimates of precipitation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/10/1717WRF modelextreme weather eventsnumerical simulationsrainfall accumulations |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe Castorina Maria Teresa Caccamo Vincenzo Insinga Salvatore Magazù Gianmarco Munaò Claudio Ortega Agostino Semprebello Umberto Rizza Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) Atmosphere WRF model extreme weather events numerical simulations rainfall accumulations |
| title | Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) |
| title_full | Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) |
| title_fullStr | Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) |
| title_short | Impact of the Different Grid Resolutions of the WRF Model for the Forecasting of the Flood Event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy) |
| title_sort | impact of the different grid resolutions of the wrf model for the forecasting of the flood event of 15 july 2020 in palermo italy |
| topic | WRF model extreme weather events numerical simulations rainfall accumulations |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/10/1717 |
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