Comparisons of radar QPEs from NWS radars at long range and a local X-band: First results from the University of Missouri radar

Recently a new X-band dual-polarization radar was installed by the University of Missouri as part of an NSF funded EPSCoR project concerning the interaction of climate variability and plant response. The radar is situated outside of Columbia, MO in an area that is poorly covered by National Weather Service radars. The closest NWS radar, KLSX, is about 140 km away and much of Mid-Missouri is even further. Within a 70 km radius of the new radar there is a population of approximately 400,000, while a radius of 100 km around the radar covers more than 600,000. The new radar will therefore provide observations of near-surface precipitation and storm characteristics that cannot be obtained by the NWS network over an area with significant population at risk from flash flooding and severe weather. Initial results compare precipitation rates retrieved using the new radar to those obtained from NWS products.