Evaluating the Precipitation Impacts of Cloud Seeding in Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado using WRF-WxMod® within an Ensemble Modeling Framework.
Saved in:
| Title: | Evaluating the Precipitation Impacts of Cloud Seeding in Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado using WRF-WxMod® within an Ensemble Modeling Framework. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | HARROLD, MICHELLE1 harrold@ucar.edu, TESSENDORF, SARAH A.1, XUE, LULIN1, WOLFF, JAMIE K.1, DOUGHERTY, ERIN1, GEERTS, BART2, RODI, ALFRED R.2, GOCHIS, DAVID3 |
| Source: | Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology. Apr2026, Vol. 65 Issue 4, p1-26. 26p. |
| Subjects: | Meteorological precipitation, Statistical ensembles, Rain-making, Weather control, Water supply |
| Geographic Terms: | Wyoming |
| Abstract: | Wintertime precipitation in the Western United States is essential for water supply, affecting agriculture, ecosystems, local economies, and beyond. Due to increasing concerns over water resources, the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) has invested in research to assess the potential of glaciogenic cloud seeding to enhance winter precipitation. This study uses WRF-WxMod®, within an ensemble modeling framework, to simulate a winter season (2019–2020) of aerial cloud seeding over the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Ranges in Wyoming and the Never Summer Range in Colorado. Twenty-seven cases of operational cloud seeding were analyzed to quantify precipitation impacts. Ensemble mean results for the 2019–2020 season showed an increase of over 10 mm of liquid-equivalent precipitation at sites in the highest elevations of the target area, with an overall mean of 9,478 acre-feet (ensemble range of 6,058 – 14, 030 acre-feet) of additional precipitation across the North Platte and Little Snake River Basins combined. In addition to investigating the results from the 2019–2020 season, a case study from 9–10 December 2021 was evaluated in-depth, as a 'zig-zag' signature resulting from a back-and-forth cross-wind flight pattern of a seeding aircraft was observed on the Cheyenne NEXRAD, similar to what was observed in the Seeded and Natural Orographic Wintertime Clouds: The Idaho Experiment (SNOWIE) field campaign. This unambiguous seeding signature makes this an ideal case to compare WRF-WxMod to observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Wintertime precipitation in the Western United States is essential for water supply, affecting agriculture, ecosystems, local economies, and beyond. Due to increasing concerns over water resources, the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) has invested in research to assess the potential of glaciogenic cloud seeding to enhance winter precipitation. This study uses WRF-WxMod®, within an ensemble modeling framework, to simulate a winter season (2019–2020) of aerial cloud seeding over the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Ranges in Wyoming and the Never Summer Range in Colorado. Twenty-seven cases of operational cloud seeding were analyzed to quantify precipitation impacts. Ensemble mean results for the 2019–2020 season showed an increase of over 10 mm of liquid-equivalent precipitation at sites in the highest elevations of the target area, with an overall mean of 9,478 acre-feet (ensemble range of 6,058 – 14, 030 acre-feet) of additional precipitation across the North Platte and Little Snake River Basins combined. In addition to investigating the results from the 2019–2020 season, a case study from 9–10 December 2021 was evaluated in-depth, as a 'zig-zag' signature resulting from a back-and-forth cross-wind flight pattern of a seeding aircraft was observed on the Cheyenne NEXRAD, similar to what was observed in the Seeded and Natural Orographic Wintertime Clouds: The Idaho Experiment (SNOWIE) field campaign. This unambiguous seeding signature makes this an ideal case to compare WRF-WxMod to observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 15588424 |
| DOI: | 10.1175/JAMC-D-25-0099.1 |
