NORA3: A Nonhydrostatic High-Resolution Hindcast of the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Barents Sea

Abstract The 3-km Norwegian Reanalysis (NORA3) is a 15-yr mesoscale-permitting atmospheric hindcast of the North Sea, and Barents Sea. With horizontal resolution 3 km, nonhydrostatic numerical weather prediction model HARMONIE–AROME runs explicitly resolved deep convection yields fields that realistically downscale ERA5 reanalysis. wind field much improved relative to its host analysis, in particular mountainous areas along grid-resolving coastlines. NORA3 also performs better than earlier hydrostatic 10-km Hindcast Archive (NORA10) complex terrain. recreates detailed structures mesoscale cyclones with sharp gradients clear frontal structures, which are particularly important when modeling polar lows. In extratropical windstorms, exhibits significantly higher maximum speeds compares observed do NORA10 ERA5. activity more realistic ERA5, both over ocean