postwrf

PostWRF

Visualization and Postprocessing of WRF and ERA5 Data

Plot WRF and ERA5 data with a namelist — just like running the WRF model.

PostWRF is a collection of interactive tools, written in NCL and Bash, for visualizing and post-processing WRF model outputs, as well as ERA5 and RTTOV data (to some extent).

It is designed for both beginners and expert users:

• Students can easily plot WRF or ERA5 outputs without dealing with programming syntax or script debugging.
• Advanced users can perform routine postprocessing tasks quickly and reproducibly.

---

🧩 Main Capabilities

• WRF data extraction
• WRF horizontal contour plotting
• WRF vertical cross-section plotting
• WRF statistical diagrams
• RTTOV input (from WRF) and output data generation
• WRF data conversion to GeoTIFF
• WRF Skew-T and wind rose diagrams
• ERA5 horizontal contour plotting
• ERA5 data extraction

---

🖼️ Sample Visualizations

---

⚙️ Installation

Install NCL on a Linux system (example for Fedora):

sudo dnf install ncl

That’s it! This is sufficient for most of PostWRF’s features.

---

🚀 Usage

1. Clone the repository:

cd PostWRF

2. Make scripts executable:

chmod +x postwrf.sh modules/*.sh modules_era/*.sh

3. Copy or link your WRF or ERA5 files into the postwrf directory.
4. Run the main script:

./postwrf.sh

5. Follow the on-screen instructions to visualize or postprocess your data.

📘 Documentation

Comprehensive documentation with practical examples:
https://postwrf.readthedocs.io/en/master

🎥 YouTube Training Videos

Watch video tutorials here:
PostWRF YouTube Playlist

📄 Citation

If you use PostWRF in your research, please cite the following publication:

Nikfal, A. (2022). PostWRF: An Interactive Visualization and Postprocessing Tool for WRF Outputs. Environmental Modelling & Software, 105591.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2022.105591