Shallow Precipitation Detection and Classification Using Multifrequency Radar Observations and Model Simulations

Detection of shallow warm rainfall remains a critical source of uncertainty in remote sensing of precipitation, especially in regions of complex topographic and radiometric transitions, such as mountains and coastlines. To address this problem, a new algorithm to detect and classify shallow rainfall based on space–time dual-frequency correlation (DFC) of concurrent W- and Ka-band radar reflectivity profiles is demonstrated using ground-based observations from the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) in the Appalachian Mountains (MV), United States, and the Biogenic Aerosols–Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC) in Hyytiala (TMP), Finland. Detection is successful with false alarm errors of 2.64% and 4.45% for MV and TMP, respectively, corresponding to one order of magnitude improvement over the skill of operational satellite-based radar algorithms in similar conditions. Shallow rainfall is misclassified 12.5% of the time at MV, but all instances of low-level reverse orographic ...