The identification and evaluation of moderate to heavy precipitation areas using IR and SSM/I satellite imagery over the Mediterranean region for the storm project

Abstract

For the purposes of the multilaboratory, EU‐funded, STORM Project, Meteosat IR and SSM/I satellite imagery were used to identify and evaluate moderate to heavy precipitation areas over Western Europe and the Mediterranean region. The Meteosat IR technique used is the Hierarchical Objective Procedure (HOP) technique. This was developed on behalf of the STORM consortium as one possible basis for a future operational flash flood forecasting scheme appropriate for use in southern Europe. Three empirical and one physical SSM/I algorithms were also used in this research. Comparing SSM/I algorithm derived precipitation maps with rain‐gauge data, it was found that the SSM/I algorithms can give reasonably good estimates of precipitation even when this is unusually heavy, but the accuracy varies with algorithms used. Intercomparison between IR HOP and SSM/I derived precipitation maps reveals that generally both techniques agree well but some discrepancies were also was found. In possible future storm monitoring and...