Evaluation of Clouds and Precipitation in the WRF Convection‐Permitting Model Over the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Simulations of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) at convective permitting resolutions of less than 4 km have become increasingly common and show increasing realism in representing clouds and precipitation. However, accurately modeling these features over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) remains a significant challenge. In this study, we evaluate WRF convective permitting simulations from 1–31 July 2016 using CALIPSO and CloudSat satellite observations, together with the COSP cloud simulator, focusing on four widely used microphysics schemes. The results show that all schemes reproduce the general vertical structure of clouds but systematically overestimate high clouds near 13 km and underestimate mid–low clouds around 7–8 km. Using dense rain‐gauge observations, we further assessed the simulated precipitation intensity. All schemes overestimate drizzle occurrences, while most underestimate heavy precipitation over the TP. These results highlight the need for an improved microphysics scheme to enhance convective‐permitting WRF performance over the TP.