Radar Data Assimilation for Convective Forecasting: Status and Challenges (Invited Presentation)

Doppler radar observations provide valuable information about atmospheric convection. In the last several decades they have been used as the primary data source for the research of convective weather thanks to their high spatial and temporal resolutions. Since the establishment of the U.S. operational radar network in the early 1990’s, the role of Doppler radar in Numerical Weather Prediction has been actively investigated. One of the fundamental questions being examined was whether a dynamically balanced convective-scale initial conditions could be attained through advanced data assimilation approaches. In this talk we will review the history of radar data assimilation emphasizing a number of scientific issues such as data assimilation methods suitable for radar observations, optimal assimilation of multi-scale observations, direct and indirect assimilation of reflectivity observation, choice of control variables, etc.. The second part of the talk will focus on an discussion of future challenges and opportunities in convective-scale data assimilation toward improving convective forecasting. These challenges include convective-scale hybrid data assimilation, assimilation of other high-resolution data sources in combination with radar, multi-scale data assimilation, and dual-pol radar data assimilation, to name but a few.