Locally Calibrated Probabilistic Temperature Forecasting Using Geostatistical Model Averaging and Local Bayesian Model Averaging

The authors introduce two ways to produce locally calibrated grid-based probabilistic forecasts of temperature. Both start from the Global Bayesian model averaging (Global BMA) statistical postprocessing method, which has constant predictive bias and variance across the domain, and modify it to make it local. The first local method, geostatistical model averaging (GMA), computes the predictive bias and variance at observation stations and interpolates them using a geostatistical model. The second approach, Local BMA, estimates the parameters of BMA at a grid point from stations that are close to the grid point and similar to it in elevation and land use. The results of these two methods applied to the eight-member University of Washington Mesoscale Ensemble (UWME) are given for the 2006 calendar year. GMA was calibrated and sharper than Global BMA, with prediction intervals that were 8% narrower than Global BMA on average. Examples using sparse and dense training networks of stations are shown. The sparse network experiment illustrates the ability of GMA to draw information from the entire training network. The performance of Local BMA was not statistically different from Global BMA in the dense network experiment, and was superior to both GMA and Global BMA in areas with sufficient nearby training data.