The main scientific issues related to the numerical weather prediction (NWP) in the northwest China are reviewed InIt is emphasized that in order to meet the increasing spatial resolution of NWPmodels and the requirements for the more accurate weather prediction,more attention should be paid to the accurate numerical depiction of the dynamic and heating effects ,among which are the dynamic processes neglected in the low resolution models and the sun-grid inhomogeneity of the terrain,the multi scale features of the terrain on the evolution ofthe weather system.The particularity and importance of the data assimilation and the possible application of ensemble forecast techniques are also stressed this paper