8.1
Tropical rainfall estimates from Doppler Radar at Newport/Morehead City NC
Carin G. Goodall-Gosnell, NOAA/NWS, Newport, NC
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Newport, North Carolina, has been affected by numerous hurricanes since it opened in January, 1994. Widespread heavy rains and flooding have occurred over the region from each of these storms. Official and unofficial rain gauge reports have been collected for Hurricanes Bertha (1996), Fran (1996), Bonnie (1998), Dennis (1999), Floyd (1999), and Irene (1999).
This study compares the rain gauge reports with the WSR-88D Doppler Radar estimates for each storm. Radar performance is evaluated using mean radar bias, average difference, and absolute error. This provides an objective view of how the radar performs during tropical events. Preliminary results show that the radar underestimates rainfall amounts by about 25%. Mean absolute errors are around two inches.
The radar was calibrated in early summer of 2000. Further studies will use the results of this study to see how much of an improvement this calibration provided.
Session 8, Rainfall, Water Vapor and Precipitable Water
Wednesday, 17 January 2001, 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
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