Ensemble Prediction with Different Spatial Resolutions for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games: The Effects of Calibration and Multimodel Approaches

Abstract Three ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) with different grid spacings are compared and evaluated with respect to their ability to predict wintertime weather in complex terrain. The experiment period was two-and-a-half winter months in 2014, coinciding with the Forecast and Research in the Olympic Sochi Testbed (FROST) project, which took place during the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The global, synoptic-scale ensemble system used is the IFS ENS from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and its performance is compared with both the operational pan-European Grand Limited Area Ensemble Prediction System (GLAMEPS) at 11-km horizontal resolution and the experimental regional convection-permitting HIRLAM–ALADIN Regional Mesoscale Operational NWP in Europe (HARMONIE) EPS (HarmonEPS) at 2.5 km. Both GLAMEPS and HarmonEPS are multimodel systems, and it is seen that a large part of the skill in these systems comes from the multimodel approach, as long as all subensembles are performing reasonably. The number of members has less impact on the overall skill measurement. The relative importance of resolution and calibration is also assessed. Statistical calibration was applied and evaluated. In contrast to what is seen for the raw ensembles, the number of members, as well as the number of subensembles, is important for the calibrated ensembles. HarmonEPS shows greater potential than GLAMEPS for predicting wintertime weather, and also has an advantage after calibration.