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Precipitation Observations with NSSL’s X-band Polarimetric Radar during the SNOW-V10 Campaign

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Abstract

In support of SNOW-V10, the National Oceanic Administration/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NOAA/NSSL) mobile dual-polarized X-band (NO-XP) radar was deployed to Birch Bay State Park in Birch Bay, Washington from 3 January 2010 to 17 March 2010. In addition to being made available in real time for Science and NOWcasting of the Olympic Weather for Vancouver 2010 (SNOW-V10) operations, NO-XP data are used here to demonstrate the capabilities of easily deployable, polarimetric X-band radar systems, especially for regions where mountainous terrain results in partial beam blockage. A rainfall estimator based on specific attenuation is shown to mitigate the effects of partial beam blockage and provide potential improvement in rainfall estimation. The ability of polarimetric X-band radar to accurately detect melting layer (ML) height is also shown. A 16 h comparison of radar reflectivity (Z), differential reflectivity (Z DR), and correlation coefficient (ρhv) measurements from NO-XP with vertically pointing Micro Rain Radar observations indicates that the two instruments provide ML height evolution that exhibit consistent temporal trends. Since even slight changes in the ML height in regions of mountainous terrain might result in a change in precipitation type measured at the surface, this shows that horizontally extensive information on ML height fluctuations, such as provided by the NO-XP, is useful in determining short term changes in expected precipitation type. Finally, range-height indicator (RHI) scans of NO-XP Z, Z DR, and ρhv fields from SNOW-V10 are used to demonstrate the ability of polarimetric radar to diagnose microphysical processes (both above and below the ML) that otherwise remain unseen by conventional radar. Near-surface enhancements in Z DR are attributed to either differential sedimentation or the preferential evaporation of smaller drops. Immediately above the ML, regions of high Z, low Z DR, and high ρhv are believed to be associated with convective turrets containing heavily aggregated or rimed snow that supply water/ice mass that later result in enhanced regions of precipitation near the surface. Higher up, horizontally extensive regions of enhanced Z DR are attributed to rapid dendritic growth and the onset of snow aggregation, a feature that has been widely observed with both S band and C band radars.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Ric Adams, Valery Melinkov, Dave Priegnitz, Bob Staples, Dave Warde and Dusan Zrnic who volunteered to staff NO-XP for 2 week shifts during the SNOW-V10 campaign. Thanks to Dusan Zrnic who helped to initiate this project and provided valuable advice and help in siting the radar. A special thanks to Bob Staples, who stepped in at the last minute and helped drive the NO-XP to Birch Bay and back to Norman, OK. Allen Zahrai, John Carter, Chris Curtis, Mike Schmidt, and Richard Wahkinney of NSSL provided expert technical assistance in maintaining the radar while John Krause of CIMMS provided assistance in reading and processing the data. Thanks to Kurt Hondl for developing the real-time Web displays and helping solve software issues with the system. Thanks to Dan Suppes for building and maintaining the NO-XP radar data archive. Gratitude is also expressed to Public Safety Director Mike Haslip and City Manager Gary Tomsic and the City of Blaine, WA who provided assistance with the deployment, ranging from advice on the availability of local services to temporary garage space when NO-XP needed repairs. Thanks also to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Park Ranger Ted Morris for allowing us to operate from the confines of Birch Bay State Bark. Thanks to Carl Lind and Lind Oil for refueling us every 10 days during the project. The successful deployment of NO-XP to SNOW-V10 would not have been possible without their assistance. The comments of two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve the manuscript. Funding for CIMMS authors was provided by NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research under NOAA-University of Oklahoma Cooperative Agreement #NA17RJ1227, U.S. Department of Commerce.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, National Weather Center, University of Oklahoma, 120 David L. Boren Dr, Norman, OK, 73072, USA

    Terry J. Schuur, Alexander V. Ryzhkov, Pengfei Zhang & Heather D. Reeves

  2. NOAA/OAR National Severe Storms Laboratory, Norman, OK, USA

    Terry J. Schuur, Alexander V. Ryzhkov, Douglas E. Forsyth, Pengfei Zhang & Heather D. Reeves

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  1. Terry J. Schuur
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  2. Alexander V. Ryzhkov
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  3. Douglas E. Forsyth
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  4. Pengfei Zhang
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  5. Heather D. Reeves
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Correspondence to Terry J. Schuur.

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Schuur, T.J., Ryzhkov, A.V., Forsyth, D.E. et al. Precipitation Observations with NSSL’s X-band Polarimetric Radar during the SNOW-V10 Campaign. Pure Appl. Geophys. 171, 95–112 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-012-0569-2

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