Growth and Interactions of Multi-Source Perturbations in Convection-Allowing Ensemble Forecasts

This study investigated the growth of forecast errors stemming from initial conditions(ICs),lateral boundary conditions(LBCs),and model(MO)perturbations,as well as their interactions,by conducting seven 36 h convectionallowing ensemble forecast(CAEF)experiments.Two cases,one with strong-forcing(SF)and the other with weak-forcing(WF),occurred over the Yangtze-Huai River basin(YHRB)in East China,were selected to examine the sources of uncertainties associated with perturbation growth under varying forcing backgrounds and the influence of these backgrounds on growth.The perturbations exhibited distinct characteristics in terms of temporal evolution,spatial propagation,and vertical distribution under different forcing backgrounds,indicating a dependence between perturbation growth and forcing background.A comparison of the perturbation growth in different precipitation areas revealed that IC and LBC perturbations were significantly influenced by the location of precipitation in the SF case,while MO perturbations were more responsive to convection triggering and dominated in the WF case.The vertical distribution of perturbations showed that the sources of uncertainties and the performance of perturbations varied between SF and WF cases,with LBC perturbations displaying notable case dependence.Furthermore,the interactions between perturbations were considered by exploring the added values of different source perturbations.For the SF case,the added values of IC,LBC,and MO perturbations were reflected in different forecast periods and different source uncertainties,suggesting that the combination of multi-source perturbations can yield positive interactions.In the WF case,MO perturbations provided a more accurate estimation of uncertainties downstream of the Dabie Mountain and need to be prioritized in the research on perturbation development.

Improvement in Background Error Covariances Using Ensemble Forecasts for Assimilation of High-Resolution Satellite Data

Satellite data obtained over synoptic data-sparse regions such as an ocean contribute toward improving the quality of the initial state of limited-area models. Background error covariances are crucial to the proper distribution of satellite-observed information in variational data assimilation. In the NMC （National Meteorological Center） method, background error covariances are underestimated over data-sparse regions such as an ocean because of small differences between different forecast times. Thus, it is necessary to reconstruct and tune the background error covariances so as to maximize the usefulness of the satellite data for the initial state of limited-area models, especially over an ocean where there is a lack of conventional data. In this study, we attempted to estimate background error covariances so as to provide adequate error statistics for data-sparse regions by using ensemble forecasts of optimal perturbations using bred vectors. The background error covariances estimated by the ensemble method reduced the overestimation of error amplitude obtained by the NMC method. By employing an appropriate horizontal length scale to exclude spurious correlations, the ensemble method produced better results than the NMC method in the assimilation of retrieved satellite data. Because the ensemble method distributes observed information over a limited local area, it would be more useful in the analysis of high-resolution satellite data. Accordingly, the performance of forecast models can be improved over the area where the satellite data are assimilated.

Evaluation of TIGGE Ensemble Forecasts of Precipitation in Distinct Climate Regions in Iran

The application of numerical weather prediction （NWP） products is increasing dramatically. Existing reports indicate that ensemble predictions have better skill than deterministic forecasts. In this study, numerical ensemble precipitation forecasts in the TIGGE database were evaluated using deterministic, dichotomous （yes/no）, and probabilistic techniques over Iran for the period 2008-16. Thirteen rain gauges spread over eight homogeneous precipitation regimes were selected for evaluation. The Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging methods were adopted for interpolation of the prediction values, downscaled to the stations at lead times of one to three days. To enhance the forecast quality, NWP values were post-processed via Bayesian Model Averaging. The results showed that ECMWF had better scores than other products. However, products of all centers underestimated precipitation in high precipitation regions while overestimating precipitation in other regions. This points to a systematic bias in forecasts and demands application of bias correction techniques. Based on dichotomous evaluation, NCEP did better at most stations, although all centers overpredicted the number of precipitation events. Compared to those of ECMWF and NCER UKMO yielded higher scores in mountainous regions, but performed poorly at other selected stations. Furthermore, the evaluations showed that all centers had better skill in wet than in dry seasons. The quality of post-processed predictions was better than those of the raw predictions. In conclusion, the accuracy of the NWP predictions made by the selected centers could be classified as medium over Iran, while post-processing of predictions is recommended to improve the quality.

Evaluation of WRF-based Convection-Permitting Multi-Physics Ensemble Forecasts over China for an Extreme Rainfall Event on 21 July 2012 in Beijing

On 21 July 2012,an extreme rainfall event that recorded a maximum rainfall amount over 24 hours of 460 mm,occurred in Beijing,China. Most operational models failed to predict such an extreme amount. In this study,a convective-permitting ensemble forecast system（CEFS）,at 4-km grid spacing,covering the entire mainland of China,is applied to this extreme rainfall case. CEFS consists of 22 members and uses multiple physics parameterizations. For the event,the predicted maximum is 415 mm d^-1 in the probability-matched ensemble mean. The predicted high-probability heavy rain region is located in southwest Beijing,as was observed. Ensemble-based verification scores are then investigated. For a small verification domain covering Beijing and its surrounding areas,the precipitation rank histogram of CEFS is much flatter than that of a reference global ensemble. CEFS has a lower（higher） Brier score and a higher resolution than the global ensemble for precipitation,indicating more reliable probabilistic forecasting by CEFS. Additionally,forecasts of different ensemble members are compared and discussed. Most of the extreme rainfall comes from convection in the warm sector east of an approaching cold front. A few members of CEFS successfully reproduce such precipitation,and orographic lift of highly moist low-level flows with a significantly southeasterly component is suggested to have played important roles in producing the initial convection. Comparisons between good and bad forecast members indicate a strong sensitivity of the extreme rainfall to the mesoscale environmental conditions,and,to less of an extent,the model physics.

Sensitivity Analysis of the Super Heavy Rainfall Event in Henan on 20 July(2021)Using ECMWF Ensemble Forecasts

An unprecedented heavy rainfall event occurred in Henan Province,China,during the period of 1200 UTC 19-1200 UTC 20 July 2021 with a record of 522 mm accumulated rainfall.Zhengzhou,the capital city of Henan,received 201.9 mm of rainfall in just one hour on the day.In the present study,the sensitivity of this event to atmospheric variables is investigated using the ECMWF ensemble forecasts.The sensitivity analysis first indicates that a local YellowHuai River low vortex(YHV)in the southern part of Henan played a crucial role in this extreme event.Meanwhile,the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH)was stronger than the long-term average and to the west of its climatological position.Moreover,the existence of a tropical cyclone(TC)In-Fa pushed into the peripheral of the WPSH and brought an enhanced easterly flow between the TC and WPSH channeling abundant moisture to inland China and feeding into the YHV.Members of the ECMWF ensemble are selected and grouped into the GOOD and the POOR groups based on their predicted maximum rainfall accumulations during the event.Some good members of ECMWF ensemble Prediction System(ECMWF-EPS)are able to capture good spatial distribution of the heavy rainfall,but still underpredict its extremity.The better prediction ability of these members comes from the better prediction of the evolution characteristics(i.e.,intensity and location)of the YHV and TC In-Fa.When the YHV was moving westward to the south of Henan,a relatively strong southerly wind in the southwestern part of Henan converged with the easterly flow from the channel wind between In-Fa and WPSH.The convergence and accompanying ascending motion induced heavy precipitation.

Impact of Soil Moisture Uncertainty on Summertime Short-range Ensemble Forecasts

To investigate the impact of soil moisture uncertainty on summertime short-range ensemble forecasts（SREFs）, a fivemember SREF experiment with perturbed initial soil moisture（ISM） was performed over a northern China domain in summertime from July to August 2014. Five soil moisture analyses from three different operational/research centers were used as the ISM for the ensemble. The ISM perturbation produced notable ensemble spread in near-surface variables and atmospheric variables below 800 h Pa, and produced skillful ensemble-mean 24-h accumulated precipitation（APCP24） forecasts that outperformed any single ensemble member. Compared with a second SREF experiment with mixed microphysics parameterization options, the ISM-perturbed ensemble produced comparable ensemble spread in APCP24 forecasts, and had better Brier scores and resolution in probabilistic APCP24 forecasts for 10-mm, 25-mm and 50-mm thresholds. The ISM-perturbed ensemble produced obviously larger ensemble spread in near-surface variables. It was, however, still under-dispersed, indicating that perturbing ISM alone may not be adequate in representing all the uncertainty at the near-surface level, indicating further SREF studies are needed to better represent the uncertainties in land surface processes and their coupling with the atmosphere.

Coupled conditional nonlinear optimal perturbations and their application to ENSO ensemble forecasts

Limitations are existed in current ensemble forecasting initial perturbation methods for describing the interactions among various spheres of the Earth system. In this study, a new method is proposed, namely, the coupled conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation(C-CNOP) method, which incorporates multisphere interactions much appropriately. The El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) is a typical ocean-atmosphere “coupling”(or “interaction”) phenomenon. The C-CNOP method is applied to ensemble forecasting of ENSO. It is demonstrated that the C-CNOP method can generate coupled initial perturbations(CPs) that appropriately consider initial ocean-atmosphere coupling uncertainty for ENSO ensemble forecasts. Results reveal that the CPs effectively improve the ability of ENSO ensemble-mean forecasts in both temporal variability of Nio3.4 sea surface temperature anomalies(SSTAs) and spatial variability of ENSO mature-phase SSTAs. Notably, despite the weakest ocean-atmosphere coupling strength in the tropical Pacific occurring during the boreal spring and summer, CPs still capture the uncertainties of this weak coupling when ENSO predictions are initialized at these seasons. This performance of CPs significantly suppresses the rapid increase of ENSO prediction errors due to the high ocean-atmosphere coupling instability during these seasons, and thus effectively extends the lead time of skillful ENSO forecasting. Hence, the C-CNOP method is a suitable initial perturbation approach for ENSO ensemble forecast that can describe initial ocean-atmosphere coupling uncertainty. It is expected that the CCNOP method plays a significant role in predictions of other high-impact climate phenomena, and even future Earth system predictions.

Non-crossing Quantile Regression Neural Network as a Calibration Tool for Ensemble Weather Forecasts

Despite the maturity of ensemble numerical weather prediction(NWP),the resulting forecasts are still,more often than not,under-dispersed.As such,forecast calibration tools have become popular.Among those tools,quantile regression(QR)is highly competitive in terms of both flexibility and predictive performance.Nevertheless,a long-standing problem of QR is quantile crossing,which greatly limits the interpretability of QR-calibrated forecasts.On this point,this study proposes a non-crossing quantile regression neural network(NCQRNN),for calibrating ensemble NWP forecasts into a set of reliable quantile forecasts without crossing.The overarching design principle of NCQRNN is to add on top of the conventional QRNN structure another hidden layer,which imposes a non-decreasing mapping between the combined output from nodes of the last hidden layer to the nodes of the output layer,through a triangular weight matrix with positive entries.The empirical part of the work considers a solar irradiance case study,in which four years of ensemble irradiance forecasts at seven locations,issued by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,are calibrated via NCQRNN,as well as via an eclectic mix of benchmarking models,ranging from the naïve climatology to the state-of-the-art deep-learning and other non-crossing models.Formal and stringent forecast verification suggests that the forecasts post-processed via NCQRNN attain the maximum sharpness subject to calibration,amongst all competitors.Furthermore,the proposed conception to resolve quantile crossing is remarkably simple yet general,and thus has broad applicability as it can be integrated with many shallow-and deep-learning-based neural networks.

Efficiently Improving Ensemble Forecasts of Warm-Sector Heavy Rainfall over Coastal Southern China: Targeted Assimilation to Reduce the Critical Initial Field Errors

Warm-sector heavy rainfall events over southern China are difficult to accurately forecast, due in part to inaccurate initial fields in numerical weather prediction models. In order to determine an efficient way of reducing the critical initial field errors, this study conducts and compares two sets of 60-member ensemble forecast experiments of a warm-sector heavy rainfall event over coastal southern China without data assimilation(NODA) and with radar radial velocity data assimilation(RadarDA). Yangjiang radar data, which can provide offshore high-resolution wind field information, were assimilated by using a Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)-based ensemble Kalman filter(EnKF) system. The results show that the speed and direction errors of the southeasterly airflow in the marine boundary layer over the northern South China Sea may primarily be responsible for the forecast errors in rainfall and convection evolution. Targeted assimilation of radial velocity data from the Yangjiang radar can reduce the critical initial field errors of most members, resulting in improvements to the ensemble forecast. Specifically, RadarDA simulations indicate that radial-velocity data assimilation(VrDA) can directly reduce the initial field errors in wind speed and direction, and indirectly and slightly adjust the initial moisture fields in most members, thereby improving the evolution features of moisture transport during the subsequent forecast period. Therefore, these RadarDA members can better capture the initiation and development of convection and have higher forecast skill for the convection evolution and rainfall. The improvement in the deterministic forecasts of most members results in an improved overall ensemble forecast performance. However, VrDA sometimes results in inappropriate adjustment of the initial wind field,so the forecast skill of a few members decreases rather than increases after VrDA. This suggests that a degree of uncertainty remains about the effect of the WRF-based EnKF system. Moreover, the results further indicate that accurate forecasts of the convection evolution and rainfall of warm-sector heavy rainfall events over southern China are challenging.

Skill Assessment of Copernicus Climate Change Service Seasonal Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts over Iran

Medium to long-term precipitation forecasting plays a pivotal role in water resource management and development of warning systems.Recently,the Copernicus Climate Change Service(C3S)database has been releasing monthly forecasts for lead times of up to three months for public use.This study evaluated the ensemble forecasts of three C3S models over the period 1993-2017 in Iran’s eight classified precipitation clusters for one-to three-month lead times.Probabilistic and non-probabilistic criteria were used for evaluation.Furthermore,the skill of selected models was analyzed in dry and wet periods in different precipitation clusters.The results indicated that the models performed best in western precipitation clusters,while in the northern humid cluster the models had negative skill scores.All models were better at forecasting upper-tercile events in dry seasons and lower-tercile events in wet seasons.Moreover,with increasing lead time,the forecast skill of the models worsened.In terms of forecasting in dry and wet years,the forecasts of the models were generally close to observations,albeit they underestimated several severe dry periods and overestimated a few wet periods.Moreover,the multi-model forecasts generated via multivariate regression of the forecasts of the three models yielded better results compared with those of individual models.In general,the ECMWF and UKMO models were found to be appropriate for one-month-ahead precipitation forecasting in most clusters of Iran.For the clusters considered in Iran and for the long-range system versions considered,the Météo France model had lower skill than the other models.

A CRPS-Based Spatial Technique for the Verification of Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts

Traditional precipitation skill scores are affected by the well-known"double penalty"problem caused by the slight spatial or temporal mismatches between forecasts and observations.The fuzzy(neighborhood)method has been proposed for deterministic simulations and shown some ability to solve this problem.The increasing resolution of ensemble forecasts of precipitation means that they now have similar problems as deterministic forecasts.We developed an ensemble precipitation verification skill score,i.e.,the Spatial Continuous Ranked Probability Score(SCRPS),and used it to extend spatial verification from deterministic into ensemble forecasts.The SCRPS is a spatial technique based on the Continuous Ranked Probability Score(CRPS)and the fuzzy method.A fast binomial random variation generator was used to obtain random indexes based on the climatological mean observed frequency,which were then used in the reference score to calculate the skill score of the SCRPS.The verification results obtained using daily forecast products from the ECMWF ensemble forecasts and quantitative precipitation estimation products from the OPERA datasets during June-August 2018 shows that the spatial score is not affected by the number of ensemble forecast members and that a consistent assessment can be obtained.The score can reflect the performance of ensemble forecasts in modeling precipitation and thus can be widely used.

Development and Application of an Atmospheric-HydrologicHydraulic Flood Forecasting Model Driven by TIGGE Ensemble Forecasts

A coupled atmospheric-hydrologic-hydraulic ensemble flood forecasting model, driven by The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment （THORPEX） Interactive Grand Global Ensemble （TIGGE） data, has been developed for flood forecasting over the Huaihe River. The incorporation of numerical weather prediction （NWP） information into flood forecasting systems may increase forecast lead time from a few hours to a few days. A single NWP model forecast from a single forecast center, however, is insufficient as it involves considerable non-predictable uncertainties and leads to a high number of false alarms. The availability of global ensemble NWP systems through TIGGE offers a new opportunity for flood forecast. The Xinanjiang model used for hydrological rainfall-runoff modeling and the one-dimensional unsteady flow model applied to channel flood routing are coupled with ensemble weather predictions based on the TIGGE data from the Canadian Meteorological Centre （CMC）, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts （ECMWF）, the UK Met Office （UKMO）, and the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction （NCEP）. The developed ensemble flood forecasting model is applied to flood forecasting of the 2007 flood season as a test case. The test case is chosen over the upper reaches of the Huaihe River above Lutaizi station with flood diversion and retarding areas. The input flood discharge hydrograph from the main channel to the flood diversion area is estimated with the fixed split ratio of the main channel discharge. The flood flow inside the flood retarding area is calculated as a reservoir with the water balance method. The Muskingum method is used for flood routing in the flood diversion area. A probabilistic discharge and flood inundation forecast is provided as the end product to study the potential benefits of using the TIGGE ensemble forecasts. The results demonstrate satisfactory flood forecasting with clear signals of probability of floods up to a few days in advance, and show that TIGGE ensemble forecast data are a promising tool for forecasting of flood inundation, comparable with that driven by raingauge observations.

An evaluation and improvement of tropical cyclone prediction in the western North Pacific basin from global ensemble forecasts

Forecasts of tropical cyclones(TCs) of the western North Pacific basin during the period of July to August 2018,especially of Rumbia(2018), Ampil(2018) and Jongdari(2018) that made landfall over Shanghai, have opposed great challenges for numerical models and forecasters. The predictive skill of these TCs are analyzed based on ensemble forecasts of ECMWF and NCEP. Results of the overall performance show that ensemble forecasts of ECMWF generally have higher predictive skill of track and intensity forecasts than those of NCEP. Specifically, ensemble forecasts of ECMWF have higher predictive skill of intensity forecasts for Rumbia(2018) and Ampil(2018) than those of NCEP, and both have low predictive skill of intensity forecasts for Jongdari(2018) at peak intensity. To improve the predictive skill of ensemble forecasts for TCs, a method that estimates adaptive weights for members of an ensemble forecast is proposed. The adaptive weights are estimated based on the fit of ensemble priors and posteriors to observations. The performances of ensemble forecasts of ECMWF and NCEP using the adaptive weights are generally improved for track and intensity forecasts. The advantages of the adaptive weights are more prominent for ensemble forecasts of ECMWF than for those of NCEP.

EVALUATION OF TROPICAL CYCLONE GENESIS PRECURSORS WITH REI ATIVE OPER ATING CHARACTERISTICS(ROC)IN HIGH-RESOLUTION ENSEMBLE FORECASTS:HURRICANE ERNESTO

Identifying the environmental conditions that control tropical cyclone(TC)genesis is a challenging problem.This study examines a new method to evaluate the precursors of TC genesis using high-resolution ensemble forecasts and relative operating characteristic(ROC)diagrams.With an advanced research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model,high-resolution ensemble forecasts(at 5 km horizontal resolution)are conducted in various configurations using a bred vector method to form a set of 140 ensemble members for predicting Hurricane Ernesto’s genesis.Basic evaluation shows that high-resolution ensemble forecasts are able to predict well-developed TCs,whereas the NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System(GEFS)fails to do so.This set of 140 ensemble members is employed to study the precursors of Hurricane Ernesto’s genesis by contrasting the genesis and nongenesis cases.Specifically,ROC curves,composite figures for genesis and nongenesis cases,and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests are applied to characterize the relationship between important environmental parameters near the beginning of the simulation and genesis likelihood 15-18 h later.It is found that moist conditions at 850 hPa,vertical wind shear,the strength of the 850 hPa pre existing wave,and upper-level warming play notable roles in Ernesto’s genesis.

Evaluation of Tropical Cyclone Intensity Forecasts from Five Global Ensemble Prediction Systems During 2015-2019

This study presented an evaluation of tropical cyclone(TC) intensity forecasts from five global ensemble prediction systems(EPSs) during 2015-2019 in the western North Pacific region. Notable error features include the underestimation of the TC intensity by ensemble mean forecast and the under-dispersion of the probability forecasts.The root mean square errors(brier scores) of the ensemble mean(probability forecasts) generally decrease consecutively at long lead times during the five years, but fluctuate between certain values at short lead times.Positive forecast skill appeared in the most recent two years(2018-2019) at 120 h or later as compared with the climatology forecasts. However, there is no obvious improvement for the intensity change forecasts during the 5-year period, with abrupt intensity change remaining a big challenge. The probability forecasts show no skill for strong TCs at all the lead times. Among the five EPSs, ECMWF-EPS ranks the best for the intensity forecast, while NCEPGEFS ranks the best for the intensity change forecast, according to the evaluation of ensemble mean and dispersion.As for the other probability forecast evaluation, ECMWF-EPS ranks the best at lead times shorter than 72 h, while NCEP-GEFS ranks the best later on.

Improving Multi-Model Ensemble Forecasts of Tropical Cyclone Intensity Using Bayesian Model Averaging

This paper proposes a method for multi-model ensemble forecasting based on Bayesian model averaging （BMA）, aiming to improve the accuracy of tropical cyclone （TC） intensity forecasts, especially forecasts of minimum surface pressure at the cyclone center （Pmin）＇ The multi-model ensemble comprises three operational forecast models： the Global Forecast System （GFS） of NCEP, the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting （HWRF） models of NCEP, and the Integrated Forecasting System （IFS） of ECMWF. The mean of a predictive distribution is taken as the BMA forecast. In this investigation, bias correction of the minimum surface pressure was applied at each forecast lead time, and the distribution （or probability density function, PDF） of emin was used and transformed. Based on summer season forecasts for three years, we found that the intensity errors in TC forecast from the three models var-ied significantly. The HWRF had a much smaller intensity error for short lead-time forecasts. To demonstrate the proposed methodology, cross validation was implemented to ensure more efficient use of the sample data and more reliable testing. Comparative analysis shows that BMA for this three-model ensemble, after bias correction and distri-bution transformation, provided more accurate forecasts than did the best of the ensemble members （HWRF）, with a 5%-7% decrease in root-mean-square error on average. BMA also outperformed the multi-model ensemble, and it produced ＂predictive variance＂ that represented the forecast uncertainty of the member models. In a word, the BMA method used in the multi-model ensemble forecasting was successful in TC intensity forecasts, and it has the poten-tial to be applied to routine operational forecasting.

Analyses and Forecasts of a Tornadic Supercell Outbreak Using a 3DVAR System Ensemble

As part of NOAA＇s ＂Warn-On-Forecast＂ initiative, a convective-scale data assimilation and prediction system was developed using the WRF-ARW model and ARPS 3DVAR data assimilation technique. The system was then evaluated using retrospective short-range ensemble analyses and probabilistic forecasts of the tornadic supercell outbreak event that occurred on 24 May 2011 in Oklahoma, USA. A 36-member multi-physics ensemble system provided the initial and boundary conditions for a 3-km convective-scale ensemble system. Radial velocity and reflectivity observations from four WSR-88 Ds were assimilated into the ensemble using the ARPS 3DVAR technique. Five data assimilation and forecast experiments were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the system to data assimilation frequencies, in-cloud temperature adjustment schemes, and fixed- and mixed-microphysics ensembles. The results indicated that the experiment with 5-min assimilation frequency quickly built up the storm and produced a more accurate analysis compared with the 10-min assimilation frequency experiment. The predicted vertical vorticity from the moist-adiabatic in-cloud temperature adjustment scheme was larger in magnitude than that from the latent heat scheme. Cycled data assimilation yielded good forecasts, where the ensemble probability of high vertical vorticity matched reasonably well with the observed tornado damage path. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the 3DVAR analysis and forecast system can provide reasonable forecasts of tornadic supercell storms.

The method of residual‑based bootstrap averaging of the forecast ensemble

This paper presents an optimization approach—residual-based bootstrap averaging(RBBA)—for different types of forecast ensembles.Unlike traditional residual-mean-square-error-based ensemble forecast averaging approaches,the RBBA method attempts to find optimal forecast weights in an ensemble and allows for their combi-nation into the most effective additive forecast.In the RBBA method,all the different types of forecasts obtain the optimal weights for ensemble residuals that are statisti-cally optimal in terms of the fitness function of the residuals.Empirical studies have been conducted to demonstrate why and how the RBBA method works.The experi-mental results based on the real-world time series of contemporary stock exchanges show that the RBBA method can produce ensemble forecasts with good generalization ability.

Scientific Advances and Weather Services of the China Meteorological Administration’s National Forecasting Systems during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was the first Winter Olympics in history held in continental winter monsoon climate conditions across complex terrain areas,there is a deficiency of relevant research,operational techniques,and experience.This made providing meteorological services for this event particularly challenging.The China Meteorological Administration(CMA)Earth System Modeling and Prediction Centre,achieved breakthroughs in research on short-and medium-term deterministic and ensemble numerical predictions.Several key technologies crucial for precise winter weather services during the Winter Olympics were developed.A comprehensive framework,known as the Operational System for High-Precision Weather Forecasting for the Winter Olympics,was established.Some of these advancements represent the highest level of capabilities currently available in China.The meteorological service provided to the Beijing 2022 Games also exceeded previous Winter Olympic Games in both variety and quality.This included achievements such as the“100-meter level,minute level”downscaled spatiotemporal resolution and forecasts spanning 1 to 15 days.Around 30 new technologies and over 60 kinds of products that align with the requirements of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee were developed,and many of these techniques have since been integrated into the CMA’s operational national forecasting systems.These accomplishments were facilitated by a dedicated weather forecasting and research initiative,in conjunction with the preexisting real-time operational forecasting systems of the CMA.This program represents one of the five subprograms of the WMO’s high-impact weather forecasting demonstration project(SMART2022),and continues to play an important role in their Regional Association(RA)II Research Development Project(Hangzhou RDP).Therefore,the research accomplishments and meteorological service experiences from this program will be carried forward into forthcoming highimpact weather forecasting activities.This article provides an overview and assessment of this program and the operational national forecasting systems.

Ensemble Forecast: A New Approach to Uncertainty and Predictability

Ensemble techniques have been used to generate daily numerical weather forecasts since the 1990s in numerical centers around the world due to the increase in computation ability. One of the main purposes of numerical ensemble forecasts is to try to assimilate the initial uncertainty （initial error） and the forecast uncertainty （forecast error） by applying either the initial perturbation method or the multi-model/multiphysics method. In fact, the mean of an ensemble forecast offers a better forecast than a deterministic （or control） forecast after a short lead time （3-5 days） for global modelling applications. There is about a 1-2-day improvement in the forecast skill when using an ensemble mean instead of a single forecast for longer lead-time. The skillful forecast （65% and above of an anomaly correlation） could be extended to 8 days （or longer） by present-day ensemble forecast systems. Furthermore, ensemble forecasts can deliver a probabilistic forecast to the users, which is based on the probability density function （PDF） instead of a single-value forecast from a traditional deterministic system. It has long been recognized that the ensemble forecast not only improves our weather forecast predictability but also offers a remarkable forecast for the future uncertainty, such as the relative measure of predictability （RMOP） and probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast （PQPF）. Not surprisingly, the success of the ensemble forecast and its wide application greatly increase the confidence of model developers and research communities.