WMO Solid Precipitation Intercomparison: from Experiments to Results

Building on the results and recommendations of previous intercomparisons, the WMO Solid Precipitation Intercomparison Experiment (WMO SPICE) that has been run since 2012, as a coordinated set of field experiments, on 20 sites worldwide. These have focused on the performance of modern automated sensors measuring solid precipitation. SPICE is focusing on the measurement and reporting of: a. Precipitation amount, over various time periods (minutes, hours, days, season), as a function of precipitation phase (liquid, solid, mixed); b. Snow on the ground (snow depth); as snow depth measurements are closely tied to snowfall measurements, the intercomparison will address the linkages between them. This presentation will provide an overview of the experiments and outline the overall preliminary results on the performance of currently operational instruments, as well as promising emerging technologies. More specific results will be presented in additional more specific presentations.