Detection of convective cells with a potential to produce local heavy rainfalls by a C-band polarimetric radar

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that polarimetric radars are capable of providing distributions of rain intensity with high accuracy. Variables obtained by the polarimetric radars include radar reflectivity factor (Zhh), differential propagation phase (Φdp) and differential reflectivity (Zdr). A number of methods to estimate rain intensity from these variables have been proposed. In this study, the rain intensity estimated from the differential reflectivity and radar reflectivity factor measured with a C-band polarimetric radar is used to analyze a local heavy rainfall event as a case study because the differential reflectivity measured with C-band radar is more sensitive to large raindrops associated with heavy rainfalls than is radars operating at other frequencies. Results show that the estimated rainfall intensity agrees well with surface observations made during the event. Moreover, the so-called high Zdr column, a large differential reflectivity region was clearly analyzed aloft about 10 minutes prior to the local heavy rainfall on the ground, suggesting that the differential reflectivity observed with C-band polarimetric radar can be a good index to detect heavy precipitation events in advance.