Evaluation of the <scp>AROME</scp> model's ability to represent ice crystal icing using in situ observations from the <scp>HAIC</scp> 2015 field campaign

Since pilots generally avoid intense convective areas, ice crystals icing (ICI) is an aeronautical weather incident that mainly occurs in the anvil of tropical deep clouds. Samples favorable conditions for occurrence ICI and data from High Altitude Ice Crystals (HAIC) 2015 field campaign French Guiana are investigated compared with simulations operational mesoscale forecast system Application Research to Operations at Mesoscales (AROME). To this end, a contextualization systems into convective, stratiform, cirriform regions employed both observations AROME. General features microphysics identified. The number concentration larger than 125 μm total water content (TWC) strongly correlated each temperature level, decrease increasing distance cores. AROME can reproduce general behavior observed microphysics, especially TWC, but seems unable simulate extreme events. Reasons sought assumptions performed microphysical scheme ICE3, guidelines proposed enhance its skills context ICI. In particular, representation snow particle size distribution adjusted across using generalized gamma shape. This shape found outperform usual Marshall–Palmer shapes. Additionally, dependence parameters found. These changes significantly improve diagnostic these modifications open way improvements ICE3 scheme.