Quantitative Precipitation Estimation with Weather Radar: Discussion and Outlook (Invited Presentation)

Progress in precipitation estimation is critical to advancing weather and water budget studies and predicting natural hazards caused by extreme events from the local to the global scales. Weather radar uniquely captures key precipitation characteristics such as its spatial and temporal distribution. Because the measurement is indirect, quantitatively interpreting the radar information content on precipitation can improve by complementing any deterministic “best estimate” with explicit estimation of uncertainty and extremes through probabilistic approaches. We will address the impact of probabilistic radar quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) on understanding hydrometeorological processes and hydrologic applications. Weather radar emerges as a cornerstone for the global understanding of water fluxes. An outlook on radar QPE for hydrology and quantification of extremes will be presented, that includes the expected impact of innovations such as the phased-array technology.