scholarly journals Polarimetric radar observations during an orographic rain event and the performance of a hydrometeor classification scheme

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 8845-8877
Author(s):  
M. Frech ◽  
J. Steinert

Abstract. An intense orographic precipitation event is analysed using two polarimetric C-Band radars situated north of the Alps on 5 January 2013. One radar is operated at DWD's meteorological observatory Hohenpeißenberg (MHP, 1006 m a.s.l. – above sea level) and the Memmingen (MEM, 65 km west of MHP, 600 m a.s.l.) radar is part of DWD's operational radar network. The event lasted about 1.5 days and in total 44 mm precipitation was measured at Hohenpeißenberg. Detailed high resolution observation on the vertical structure of this event is obtained through a birdbath scan at 90° elevation which is part of the operational scanning. This scan is acquired every 5 min and provides meteorological profiles at high spatial resolution. In the course of this event, the melting layer (ML) descends until the transition from rain into snow is observed at ground level. This transition from rain into snow is well documented by local weather observers and a present-weather sensor. The orographic precipitation event reveals mesoscale variability above the melting layer which is unexpected from a meteorological point of view. It corresponds to a substantial increase in rain rate at the surface. The performance of the newly developed hydrometeor classification scheme "Hymec" using Memmingen radar data over Hohenpeißenberg is analyzed. The detection in location and timing of the ML agrees well with the Hohenpeißenberg radar data. Considering the size of the Memmingen radar sensing volume, the detected hydrometeor (HM) types are consistent for measurements at or in a ML, even though surface observation indicate for example rain whereas the predominant HM is classified as wet snow. To better link the HM classification with the surface observation, either better thermodynamic input is needed for Hymec or a statistical correction of the HM classification similar to a model output statistics (MOS) approach may be needed.

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 1141-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Frech ◽  
J. Steinert

Abstract. An intense orographic precipitation event on 5 January 2013 is analyzed using a polarimetric C-band radar situated north of the Alps. The radar is operated at the meteorological observatory Hohenpeißenberg (MHP, 1006 m a.s.l. – above sea level) of the German Meteorological Service (DWD). The event lasted about 1.5 days and in total 44 mm precipitation was measured at Hohenpeißenberg. Detailed high resolution observation on the vertical structure of this event is obtained through a birdbath scan at 90° elevation which is part of the operational scanning. This scan is acquired every 5 min and provides meteorological profiles at high spatial resolution which are often not available in other radar networks. In the course of this event, the melting layer (ML) descends until the transition from rain into snow is observed at ground level. This transition from rain into snow is well documented by local weather observers and a present-weather sensor. The orographic precipitation event reveals mesoscale variability above the melting layer which can be attributed to a warm front. This variability manifests itself through substantially increased hydrometeor fall velocities. Radiosounding data indicate a layered structure in the thermodynamic field with increased moisture availability in relation to warm air advection. Rimed snowflakes and aggregation in a relatively warm environment lead to a signature in the radar data which is attributed to wet snow. The passage of the warm front leads to a substantial increase in rain rate at the surface. We use the newly implemented hydrometeor classification scheme "Hymec" to illustrate issues when relating radar products to local observations. For this, we employ data from the radar near Memmingen (MEM, 65 km west of MHP, 600 m a.s.l.) which is part of DWD's operational radar network. The detection, in location and timing, of the ML agrees well with the Hohenpeißenberg radar data. Considering the size of the Memmingen radar sensing volume, the detected hydrometeor (HM) types are consistent for measurements at or in a ML, even though surface observations indicate for example rain whereas the predominant HM is classified as wet snow. To better link the HM classification with the surface observation, either better thermodynamic input for Hymec or a statistical correction of the HM classification similar to a model output statistics (MOS) approach may be needed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Yuan ◽  
Yee Lee ◽  
Yu Meng ◽  
Jin Ong

In the tropical region, convective rain is a dominant rain event. However, very little information is known about the convective rain melting layer. In this paper, S-band dual-polarized radar data is studied in order to identify both the stratiform and convective rain melting layers in the tropical region, with a focus on the convective events. By studying and analyzing the above-mentioned two types of rain events, amongst three radar measurements of reflectivity ( Z ), differential reflectivity ( Z DR ), and cross correlation coefficient ( ρ HV ), the latter one is the best indicator for convective rain melting layer detection. From two years (2014 and 2015) of radar and radiosonde observations, 13 convective rain melting layers are identified with available 0 °C isothermal heights which are derived from radiosonde vertical profiles. By comparing the melting layer top heights with the corresponding 0 °C isothermal heights, it is found that for convective rain events, the threshold to detect melting layer should be modified to ρ HV = 0.95 for the tropical region. The melting layer top and bottom heights are then estimated using the proposed threshold, and it is observed from this study that the thickness of convective rain melting layer is around 2 times that of stratiform rain melting layer which is detected by using the conventional ρ HV = 0.97 .


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1727
Author(s):  
Valerio Capecchi ◽  
Andrea Antonini ◽  
Riccardo Benedetti ◽  
Luca Fibbi ◽  
Samantha Melani ◽  
...  

During the night between 9 and 10 September 2017, multiple flash floods associated with a heavy-precipitation event affected the town of Livorno, located in Tuscany, Italy. Accumulated precipitation exceeding 200 mm in two hours was recorded. This rainfall intensity is associated with a return period of higher than 200 years. As a consequence, all the largest streams of the Livorno municipality flooded several areas of the town. We used the limited-area weather research and forecasting (WRF) model, in a convection-permitting setup, to reconstruct the extreme event leading to the flash floods. We evaluated possible forecasting improvements emerging from the assimilation of local ground stations and X- and S-band radar data into the WRF, using the configuration operational at the meteorological center of Tuscany region (LaMMA) at the time of the event. Simulations were verified against weather station observations, through an innovative method aimed at disentangling the positioning and intensity errors of precipitation forecasts. A more accurate description of the low-level flows and a better assessment of the atmospheric water vapor field showed how the assimilation of radar data can improve quantitative precipitation forecasts.


2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1991-2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Heyraud ◽  
Wanda Szyrmer ◽  
Stéphane Laroche ◽  
Isztar Zawadzki

Abstract In this paper a simplified UHF-band backscattering parameterization for individual melting snowflakes is proposed. This parameterization is a function of the density, shape, and melted fraction, and is used here in a brightband bulk modeling study. A 1D bulk model is developed where aggregation and breakup are neglected. Model results are in good agreement with detailed bin-model results and simulate the radar brightband observations well. It is shown the model can be seen as an observation operator that could be introduced into a data assimilation scheme to extract information contained in the radar data measurements.


Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Faure ◽  
Guy Delrieu ◽  
Nicolas Gaussiat

In the French Alps the quality of the radar Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) is limited by the topography and the vertical structure of precipitation. A previous study realized in all the French Alps, has shown a general bias between values of the national radar QPE composite and the rain gauge measurements: a radar QPE over-estimation at low altitude (+20% at 200 m a.s.l.), and an increasing underestimation at high altitudes (until −40% at 2100 m a.s.l.). This trend has been linked to altitudinal gradients of precipitation observed at ground level. This paper analyzes relative altitudinal gradients of precipitation estimated with rain gauges measurements in 2016 for three massifs around Grenoble, and for different temporal accumulations (yearly, seasonal, monthly, daily). Comparisons of radar and rain gauge accumulations confirm the bias previously observed. The parts of the current radar data processing affecting the bias value are pointed out. The analysis shows a coherency between the relative gradient values estimated at the different temporal accumulations. Vertical profiles of precipitation detected by a research radar installed at the bottom of the valley also show how the wide horizontal variability of precipitation inside the valley can affect the gradient estimation.


1981 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hendry ◽  
Y.M.M. Antar ◽  
J.J. Schlesak ◽  
R.L. Olsen
Keyword(s):  

2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 2016-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooks E. Martner ◽  
Paul J. Neiman ◽  
Allen B. White

Abstract A strong elevated temperature inversion in a landfalling winter storm in northern California produced two simultaneous melting layers with associated radar bright bands. The storm was observed with scanning and profiling radars. Serial radiosonde launches from the scanning radar site precisely documented the evolving temperature structure of the air mass that produced the double bright band. The radiosonde and radar observations, which were coincident in location and time, clearly illustrate the cause (two melting layers) and effect (two bright bands) of this unusual phenomenon. An automated algorithm for determining the melting-layer height from profiling radar data was tested on this situation. In its operational form, the algorithm detects only the lower melting layer, but in modified form it is capable of detecting both melting layers simultaneously.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1009-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximiliano Viale ◽  
Federico A. Norte

Abstract The most intense orographic precipitation event over the subtropical central Andes (36°–30°S) during winter 2005 was examined using observational data and a regional model simulation. The Eta-Programa Regional de Meteorología (PRM) model forecast was evaluated and used to explore the airflow structure that generated this heavy precipitation event, with a focus on orographic influences. Even though the model did not realistically reproduce any near-surface variables, nor the precipitation shadow in the leeside lowlands, its reliable forecast of heavy precipitation over the windward side and the wind fields suggests that it can be used as a valuable forecasting tool for such events in the region. The synoptic flow of the 26–29 August 2005 storm responded to a well-defined dipole from low to upper levels with anomalous low (high) geopotential heights at midlatitudes (subtropical) latitudes located off the southeast Pacific coast, resulting in a large meridional geopotential height gradient that drove a strong anomalous cross-barrier flow. Precipitation enhancement in the Andes was observed during the entire event; however, the highest rates were in the prefrontal sector under the low-level stable stratification and cross-barrier winds exceeding 2.5 standard deviations (σ) from the climatological monthly mean. The combination of strong cross-mountain winds with the stable stratification in the air mass of a frontal system, impinging on the high Andes range, appears to be the major factor in determining the flow structure that produced the pattern of precipitation enhancement, with uplift maximized near mountaintops and low-level blocking upwindleading to the formation of a low-level along-barrier jet. Additionally, only the upstream wind anomalies for the 15 heaviest events over a 10-yr (1967–76) period were investigated. They exhibited strong anomalous northwesterly winds for 14 of the 15 events, whereas for the remaining event there were no available observations to evaluate. Thus, these anomalies may also be exploited for forecasting capabilities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
Ricardo Antonio Mollmann Junior ◽  
Rita De Cassia Marques Alves ◽  
Gabriel Bonow Muchow ◽  
Bruno Dias Rodrigues ◽  
Rosiberto Salustiano da Silva Junior ◽  
...  

O objetivo do presente do estudo foi observar a sensibilidade das parametrizações do modelo WRF ao quantificar as variáveis em superfície: pressão atmosférica, temperatura do ar, umidade relativa e precipitação durante o Inverno de 2014 no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Os resultados foram demonstrados a partir de análise dos índices estatísticos, bias e Raiz do Erro Quadrático Médio (REQM), quando calculados para comparações entre os dados extraídos de 6 experimentos de simulações do modelo WRF com dados de estações de monitoramento do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) no RS. Os experimentos foram configurados com diferentes parametrização físicas, para assim poder verificar qual combinação apresenta melhor desempenho na representação das condições de Inverno do RS. A partir do reconhecimento das diferentes interpretações físicas que cada conjunto de parametrização pode representar, foi apresentado um estudo de caso afim de diagnosticar as precipitações ocorridas no Estado, principalmente no município de Irai-RS. As análises partiu de um acompanhamento de evento de chuvas ocorrido entre os dias 25 e 30 de junho de 2014, utilizando-se de cartas dos campos meteorológicos de Linhas de Corrente em 850hPa e Precipitação. Percebeu-se que tanto temperatura quanto pressão, o bias e o REQM obtiveram diferenças não significativas entre os experimentos. A UR, no cálculo do bias mostrou uma grande diferença entre os experimentos, devido a forma de seu cálculo considerar apenas o erros sistemáticos, podendo haver cancelamento de erros entre subestimativas e superestimativas. A REQM para a mesma variável, mostrou que os experimentos não se diferenciaram em valores significativos, obtendo apenas nos experimentos 3 e 5, menor valor de erro em comparação aos outros experimentos (~2%). Ao tecer considerações sobre a precipitação, o bias diagnosticou subestimativas nos experimentos para as chuvas durante o inverno de 2014, entretanto no cálculo da REQM os experimentos não tiveram assentimento entre si, exceto o 4 e o 6, onde os valores dos erros totais ficaram inferiores à 2mm. Para o estudo de caso, onde foi acompanhado as chuvas ocorridas durante a passagem de um fenômeno Ciclone Extratropical, em todos os experimentos mostrou a caracterização do evento de precipitação. Com isso, ao diagnosticar a quantidade de precipitação durante o evento ocorrido sobre a estação meteorológica de Irai-RS com os dados do modelo, somado as análises estatísticas, o experimento 6 dentre as combinações de parametrizações apresentadas neste estudo, obteve o melhor desempenho para caracterizar o estado atmosférico durante o período de inverno no RS.   ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to observe the sensitivity of parameterizations of the WRF model to quantify the variables in surface: atmospheric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity and precipitation during the winter of 2014 in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS).  The results were demonstrated from analysis of statistical indices, bias and Mean Squared Error root (RMSE) calculated for comparisons between the data extracted from 6 experiments of the WRF model simulations with data from the National Institute of Meteorology monitoring stations (INMET) in RS. The experiments were configuring with different physical parameterization, so that it may examine what combination performs better in the representation of the RS winter conditions. From the recognition of different physical interpretations that each set of parameterization can represent, a case study was made in order to diagnose the precipitations that occurred in the State, mainly in the municipality of Irai. The analysis came from a monitoring rain event occurred between 25 and 30 June 2014, using meteorological fields of 850hPa stream lines and rainfall. However, realizes that both temperature as pressure, the bias and the RMSE obtained no significant differences between experiments. UR, in the calculation of bias showed a big difference between the experiments, because of the manner of calculation only considers the systematic errors, which may cause cancellation of errors between underestimation and overestimation. The RMSE for the same variable showed no differences in significant amounts in the experiments, only in experiments 3 and 5, smallest error value when compared to the other experiments (~ 2%). To develop some considerations on the precipitation, the bias diagnosed underestimates the experiments for the rains during the winter of 2014; however, in the calculation of RMSE the experiments had not consent to each other, except 4 and 6, where the values of total errors were lower to 2mm. For the case study, which was accompanied rainfall occurred during the passage of an extratropical cyclone, in all experiments showed the characterization of the precipitation event. Thus, to diagnose the amount of precipitation during the event occurring on the Irai weather station with model data, combined with statistical analysis, the experiment 6 from the parameterization of combinations shown in this study had the best performance to characterize the atmospheric state during the winter period in the RS. Keywords: Weather numerical forecast, WRF, physical parameterization, atmospheric modeling.   


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 319-331
Author(s):  
Youngjin Choi ◽  
Ho-Kyun Kim ◽  
Dong-Hwan Lee ◽  
Kyu-Min Song ◽  
Dae Hyun Kim

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