Precipitation distributions from microwave and sferics data and a mesoscale weather prediction model

Abstract

Precipitation distributions of convective rainfall events are derived from SSM/I and TMI microwave radiometric data. Histograms of coincident sferics frequency distributions are matched to those of precipitation to develop a relationship between sferics and rainfall rates. That regression between sferics and rainfall rates is used to derive convective rainfall rates from the continuously available sferics measurements at those times when no satellite data were available. Those continuous convective rainfall data are then used in a mesoscale weather forecast model to derive and predict all rainfall as well as other weather parameters. The inferred rainfall distributions are compared to those from a NWS radar network and spaceborne microwave measurements obtained from the Feb. 2-3, 1998 storm along the U.S. Gulf coast.