Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model IMPACTS

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model IMPACTS dataset includes model data simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign. IMPACTS was a three-year sequence of winter season deployments conducted to study snowstorms over the U.S. Atlantic Coast (2020-2023). The campaign aimed to (1) Provide observations critical to understanding the mechanisms of snowband formation, organization, and evolution; (2) Examine how the microphysical characteristics and likely growth mechanisms of snow particles vary across snowbands; and (3) Improve snowfall remote sensing interpretation and modeling to significantly advance prediction capabilities. The WRF model provided simulations of the precipitation events that were observed during the campaign using initial and boundary conditions from the Global Forecast System (GFS) model and the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM). The WRF IMPACTS dataset files are available from January 12, 2020, through March 4, 2023, in netCDF-3 format.