Diabatic Initialization Tests Using the Naval Research Laboratory Limited-Area Numerical Weather Prediction Model

Diabatic forcing has been incorporated into a nonlinear normal-mode initialization scheme to provide more realistic initial conditions and to alleviate the problem of the spinup time of the Naval Research Laboratory Limited-Area Numerical Weather Prediction Model. Latent heating profiles are computed from the observed rainfall and from the model-generated convective rainfall at locations where there were no observations. The latent heating is distributed in the vertical according to the cumulus convective parameterization scheme (Kuo scheme) of the model. The results of a case study from the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment indicated that model spinup of forecast rainfall can be reduced when diabatic initialization with merging of heat and/or rain is used.