Quantifying and predicting the accuracy of radar-based quantitative precipitation forecasts

QPF accuracy information is needed by anyone who intend to use such information. QPF made by radar nowcasts depend on QPE uncertainties as well as the change in the precipitation patterns during the forecast period.

Using US radar composite data, we evaluated average nowcast accuracies as a function of forecast duration and basin size. We then tried to use echo information to determine how QPF accuracy varied with precipitation intensity, and whether one could use information from the immediate past to "nowcast" QPF accuracy.