Estimation of rainfall based on the results of polarimetric echo classification

The quality of polarimetric radar rainfall estimation is investigated for a broad range of distances from the polarimetric prototype of the WSR-88D radar. The results of polarimetric echo classification have been integrated into the study to investigate the performance of radar rainfall estimation contingent on hydrometeor type. Separate statistics are obtained for widespread stratiform and warm season convective events to determine the significance of melting layer contamination. A new method for polarimetric rainfall estimation that capitalizes on the results of echo classification exhibits better performance than the conventional WSR-88D technique up to the distances of 180 – 200 km.