Using GOES-16 to Analyze and Verify Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in Non-Radar Regions

The GOES-R Proving Ground Program was conceived to demonstrate and familiarize forecasters with the next generation geostationary satellite products and capabilities that will be incorporated into National Weather Service (NWS) and National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information (NESDIS) operations. The Satellite Proving Ground for Marine, Precipitation, and Satellite Analysis (MPS PG) has been an active participant in the larger Satellite Proving Ground for about six years, and consists of the NCEP Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), Weather Prediction Center (WPC), the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB), and the NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB). Prior to the launch of GOES-R (now GOES-16), the Proving Ground focused on demonstrating and evaluating proxy products in operations. On 1 March 2017, the first GOES-16 images started flowing in a beta test phase, allowing forecasters in the MPS to get some first looks in AWIPS II and N-AWIPS displays.

The TAFB forecasters took specific interest in the NESDIS Quantitative Precipitation Estimate and Rainfall Rate (QPE/RR) product to analyze and help verify the heavy rainfall associated with Atlantic and Eastern Pacific tropical cyclones. Prior to GOES-16, the QPE/RR product was run as a proxy using the GOES-13 satellite imager and was introduced to the forecasters during the 2016 Atlantic tropical season. This presentation will provide examples of the QPE/RR product during the 2016 and 2017 Atlantic hurricane seasons, and highlight potential usage in future seasons.