Analysis of near‐surface biases in ERA ‐ I nterim over the C anadian P rairies

We quantify the biases in the diurnal cycle of temperature in ERA‐Interim for both warm and cold season using hourly climate station data for four stations in Saskatchewan from 1979 to 2006. The warm season biases increase as opaque cloud cover decreases, and change substantially from April to October. The bias in mean temperature increases almost monotonically from small negative values in April to small positive values in the fall. Under clear...