Hybrid physics-AI outperforms numerical weather prediction for extreme precipitation nowcasting

Precipitation nowcasting, which is critical for flood emergency and river management, has remained challenging for decades, although recent developments in deep generative modeling (DGM) suggest the possibility of improvements. River management centers, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, have been using Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models for nowcasting, but they have been struggling with missed detections even from best-in-class NWP models. While decades of prior research achieved limited improvements beyond advection and localized evolution, recent attempts have shown progress from so-called physics-free machine learning (ML) methods, and even greater improvements from physics-embedded ML approaches. Developers of DGM for nowcasting have compared their approaches with optical flow (a variant of advection) and meteorologists’ judgment, but not with NWP models. Further, they have not conducted independent co-evaluations with water resources and river managers. Here we show that the state-of-the-art physics-embedded deep generative model, specifically NowcastNet, outperforms the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model, which is the latest generation of NWP, along with advection and persistence, especially for heavy precipitation events. Thus, for grid-cell extremes over 16 mm/h, NowcastNet demonstrated a median critical success index (CSI) of 0.30, compared with median CSI of 0.04 for HRRR. However, despite hydrologically-relevant improvements in point-by-point forecasts from NowcastNet, caveats include overestimation of spatially aggregate precipitation over longer lead times. Our co-evaluation with ML developers, hydrologists and river managers suggest the possibility of improved flood emergency response and hydropower management.