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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

Title:

Improving Short Term (0-48 Hour) Cool Season Quantitiative Precipitation Forecasting: Recommendations from a USWRP Workshop

Abstract:

A Cool Season Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (CSQPF) workshop was convened to advise USWRP on the development of an implementation plan for improving cool-season quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF). The workshop defined critical research activities and operational tests needed to advance short-term (0 to 48 hours) QPF in the cool season, including snow and freezing rain. The workshop considered physical process studies, NWP and data assimilation methods, atmospheric observing systems, and use and value of improved forecasts. It was concluded that a key approach to cool-season QPF is to provide the user community (e.g., water resources, transportation, emergency management, utilities) with probabilistic forecasts that specify the size, position, orientation, timing, amount and type of precipitation. This includes distinguishing regions of rain, snow and mixed precipitation, as well as probabilistic products specifying the location of boundaries separating precipitation types.

Source(s):

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.

Date: 2004

Author:

Ralph, et al

Keywords:


Rain
Snow
Ice/Frost
Precipitation
Climate/Season

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