Effect of different microphysics scheme on WRF model: A simulation of hail event study case in Surabaya, Indonesia

In the present study, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model was employed to simulate hail event over Surabaya on 8 March 2017 in term of evaluating sensitivity to four microphysical schemes (WSM3, WSM6, Thompson, and Morrison). The analyzed weather variables were surface parameters (e.g. temperature, air pressure, u-wind component), reflectivity, surface wind field, and hydrometeor particles (e.g. cloud, rain, ice, and graupel) which is compared to observation (e.g. AWS and DWR product). Two main analysis were performed: point-to-point and spatial (e.g. horizontal, vertical, and temporal) analysis. The result was, among surface variables, u-wind component acted significantly different from observation due to boundary condition bias and strong synoptic-scale forcing. This error led model to produce misplaced the storm cloud but appropriate in time. The MORRISON-2 scheme could simulate size and lifetime of convective cloud close to radar observation, but THOMPSON is more able to generate cloud properties in proper condition when hail event is possible to occur. The adding number of concentration only for rain species and let the graupel intercept parameter depend upon its mixing ratio lead this scheme is more robust to simulate mix-phase cloud development. Therefore THOMPSON scheme is more suitable to reproduce cloud convective which more dominated by rain species as a typical of tropical cloud.