Quantitative precipitation estimation from weather radars, personal weather stations and commercial microwave links

The focus of this book chapter is on quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) by ground-based sensors of liquid precipitation (rain) at the Earth’s surface, which is the dominant precipitation type in the mid-latitudes and (sub)tropics. An introduction is provided (of global coverage) for ground-based weather radars, government rain gauge networks, and two opportunistic sensors: commercial microwave links (CMLs) between cellphone towers and crowdsourced rain gauges from personal weather stations (PWSs).

In this chapter, the quality of quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) with radar data, PWS data and CML data is evaluated for the Netherlands, a mid-latitude country with a temperate climate. This will provide insight into the stand-alone performance of opportunistic sensors, where the Netherlands acts as a test bed with relatively accurate reference data. First, the employed datasets are described. Next, three consecutive sections discuss QPE with radars, PWSs and CMLs. Apart from the evaluation in each section, details are provided on each sensor. For radars, an overview and illustration of sources of error in QPE and of algorithms to improve QPE are provided. For PWSs, factors affecting the quality of rainfall estimates and quality control (QC) algorithms to remedy these are discussed. For CMLs, the principle of rainfall retrieval and the encountered sources of error are described. Finally, a summary and outlook are provided, focusing on (1) improving radar QPE by merging with CML or PWS rainfall estimates and (2) showcasing the potential of CMLs for rainfall estimation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).