20030220: Radar data used for rainfall rates

>From: mljacobs <address@hidden>
>Organization: UCAR/Unidata
>Keywords: 200302210528.h1L5SJt09350

>Hello,
>My name is Matt Jacobs and I have e-mailed before.  The last response from Tom
>  
>Yoksas was very helpful, but I still have some addition questions. How would I
>  
>go about using gempak to view level III radar data to find rainfall rates.  
>What program would I use and what variable would be used to enter a parameter 
>such as rainfall rate.
>Thanks
>Matt Jacobs
>


Matt,

Nexrad level III (NIDS) format data can be viewed in GEMPAK programs
using the PROJ=rad and RADFIL=radarfile parameters, as well as in the gui
applications NSAT, NMAP, NMAP2 and Garp.

The NIDS products provide a reflectivity product as well a 1 hour precipitaion
accumulation product. For estimating rainfall rates, you would either have to
appli a Z to R relationship, or project from the 1 hour estimated accumulation.
On noaaport, these are the NxR ( alternatively NCR for composite reflectivity),
and N1P.

Steve Chiswell