• DOI:10.1175/JHM-D-13-0163.1
• Corpus ID: 54732122

A Real-Time Algorithm for Merging Radar QPEs with Rain Gauge Observations and Orographic Precipitation Climatology

@article{Zhang2014ARA,
  title={A Real-Time Algorithm for Merging Radar QPEs with Rain Gauge Observations and Orographic Precipitation Climatology},
  author={Jian Zhang and Youcun Qi and Carrie Langston and Brian Kaney and Kenneth W. Howard},
  journal={Journal of Hydrometeorology},
  year={2014},
  volume={15},
  pages={1794-1809}
}

• Jian Zhang, Y. Qi, +2 authors K. Howard
• Published 25 September 2014
• Environmental Science
• Journal of Hydrometeorology

AbstractHigh-resolution, accurate quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) is critical for monitoring and prediction of flash floods and is one of the most important drivers for hydrological forecasts. Rain gauges provide a direct measure of precipitation at a point, which is generally more accurate than remotely sensed observations from radar and satellite. However, high-quality, accurate precipitation gauges are expensive to maintain, and their distributions are too sparse to capture gradients of convective precipitation that may produce flash floods. Weather radars provide precipitation observations with significantly higher resolutions than rain gauge networks, although the radar reflectivity is an indirect measure of precipitation and radar-derived QPEs are subject to errors in reflectivity–rain rate (Z–R) relationships. Further, radar observations are prone to blockages in complex terrain, which often result in a poor sampling of orographically enhanced precipitation. The current study aims at a ...