Operational Evaluation of the Quantitative Precipitation Estimation by a CINRAD-SA Dual Polarization Radar System

In this paper, a quantitative precipitation estimation based on the hydrometeor classification (HCA-QPE) algorithm was proposed for the first operational S band dual-polarization radar upgraded from the CINRAD/SA radar of China. The HCA-QPE algorithm, localized Colorado State University-Hydrometeor Identification of Rainfall (CSUHIDRO) algorithm, the Joint Polarization Experiment (JPOLE) algorithm, and the dynamic Z-R relationships based on variational correction QPE (DRVC-QPE) algorithm were evaluated with the rainfall events from March 1 to October 30, 2017 in Guangdong Province. The results indicated that even though the HCA-QPE algorithm did not use the observed rainfall data for correction, its estimation accuracy was better than that of the DRVC-QPE algorithm when the rainfall rate was greater than 5 mm h-1; and the stronger the rainfall intensity, the greater the QPE improvement.Besides, the HCA-QPE algorithm worked better than the localized CSU-HIDRO and JPOLE algorithms. This study preliminarily evaluated the improved accuracy of QPE by a dual-polarization radar system modified from CINRAD-SA radar.