Dynamical downscaling of temperature variability over Tunisia: evaluation a 21-year-long simulation performed with the WRF model

This study evaluates the capabilities of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to reproduce the space-time variability of near-surface air temperature over Tunisia. Downscaling is based on two nested domains with a first domain covering the Mediterranean Basin and forced by 21 years of ERA-Interim reanalysis (1991 Analyses and comparisons are focused on daily average (T avg ), minimum (T min ) and maximum (T max ) near-surface air temperatures and are carried out at the annual and seasonal timescales. WRF results are assessed against various climatological products (ERA-Interim, E-OBS and a local network of 18 surface weather stations).