A Numerical Case Study Examining the Orographic Effect of the Taebaek Mountains on Snowfall Distribution over the Yeongdong Area

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was designed to identify the role of the Taebaek Mountains in the occurrence of heavy snowfall in Yeongdong area with a strong northeast wind on January 20-21, 2008. To this end, in addition to the control simulation with the realistic distribution of the Taebaek Mountains, a sensitivity experiment that removed the orography over the Taebaek Mountains was performed. The control simulation results showed that the resulting wind field and precipitation distribution were similar to what were observed. Results from the sensitivity experiment clearly demonstrates the presence of orographic lifting on the windward slope of the mountains. It is concluded that the altitude of the Taebaek Mountains is the main controlling factor in determining the distribution and amount of precipitation in the Yeongdong area for the case of heavy snowfall in January 2008.

태백산맥이 영동지역의 강설량 분포에 미치는 영향에 관한 수치 모의 사례 연구