Development of a window correlation matching method for improved radar rainfall estimation

Overview & Synopsis

The present study develops a method called window correlation matching method (WCMM) to reduce collocation and timing errors in matching pairs of radar measured reflectivity, Ze, and gauge measured rainfall intensity, R, for improving the accuracy of the estimation of Ze?R relationships. This method is compared with the traditional matching method (TMM) and the probability matching method (PMM). The relationship Ze=18.05 R1.45 obtained from 7×7 km of space window and both present and 5 min previous time of radar observation for time window (S77T5) produces the best results for radar rainfall estimates for orographic rain over the Mae Chaem Watershed in north of Thailand. The comparison shows that the Ze?R relationships obtained from WCMM provide more accuracy in radar rainfall estimates as compared with the other two methods. The Ze?R relationships estimated using TMM and PMM show large overestimation and underestimation, respectively, of mean areal rainfall. Based on the overall results, it can be concluded that WCMM can reduce collocation and timing errors in Ze?R pairs matching and improve the estimation of Ze?R relationships for radar rainfall. WCMM is therefore a promising method for improved radar-measured rainfall, which is an important input for hydrological and environmental modeling and water resources management.