Cloutier-Gervais et al. (2026) Evaluation of the Canadian Regional Climate Model in Simulating Extratropical Cyclones Over Northeastern North America

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-10
• Authors: Maxine Cloutier-Gervais, Alejandro Di Luca, Dominic Matte, Philippe Roy
• DOI: 10.1029/2026jd046756

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates the Canadian regional climate model (CRCM) v6 in simulating extratropical cyclones (ETCs) over northeastern North America, demonstrating that a 2.5-km convection-permitting configuration improves the representation of extreme precipitation and wind speed biases compared to a 12-km configuration.

Objective

• To comprehensively evaluate the ability of the CRCM v6 to simulate ETC activity (intensity, lifetime, and tracks) and associated near-surface wind speeds and precipitation over northeastern North America.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Northeastern North America (with specific surface field evaluations focused on the northeastern United States).
• Temporal Scale: Hourly resolution for near-surface wind and precipitation.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Canadian regional climate model (CRCM) v6 in two configurations: a $\sim$12-km horizontal grid-spacing (parameterized deep convection) and a $\sim$2.5-km grid-spacing (explicit convection, nested within the 12-km simulation).
• Data sources: ERA5 reanalysis (for driving and comparison), Integrated Surface Database (ISD) in situ stations, IMERG satellite data, and StageIV radar data.

Main Results

• The 12-km configuration produces cyclone tracks and lifetimes comparable to ERA5, whereas the 2.5-km configuration generates a higher frequency of storms with longer durations.
• The 2.5-km convection-permitting model provides a better representation of extreme precipitation rates and a reduction in wind speed biases.
• Error decomposition indicates that discrepancies in wind and precipitation are primarily driven by biases in the average values associated with ETC events, while errors in storm occurrence are secondary.
• Both configurations reasonably reproduce ETC characteristics, but the 2.5-km version is more effective for local-scale climate analyses.

Contributions

• Provides the first comprehensive evaluation of the CRCM v6 specifically for extratropical cyclones in the northeastern North American region.
• Quantifies the improvement in surface field simulations (wind and precipitation) when moving from parameterized to explicit convection at a 2.5-km scale.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{CloutierGervais2026Evaluation,
  author = {Cloutier-Gervais, Maxine and Luca, Alejandro Di and Matte, Dominic and Roy, Philippe},
  title = {Evaluation of the Canadian Regional Climate Model in Simulating Extratropical Cyclones Over Northeastern North America},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026jd046756},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026jd046756}
}