RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATION ASSESSMENT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS

Storms that potentially produce extreme rainfall and flooding present a special challenge for radar rainfall estimation. The authors assess the utility of weather radar in the investigation of extreme rain-producing storms through case studies of storm events. Eight storm events that produced extreme rainfalls, debris flows and floods in north-eastern Italian Alps are examined by using data from the Monte Macaion radar (located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region). The analyses illustrate the significance of vertical profile of radar reflectivity and scan elevation selection in the radar monitoring of convective rainfall events. Results are presented for interscan comparison, at hourly and sub-hourly rainfall accumulations, and for radar-raingauge intercomparisons. Key-words: precipitation; weather radar; radar hydrology; vertical profile of radar reflectivit