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Differential reflectivity columns and hail -- linking C-band radar-based estimated column characteristics to crowdsourced hail observations in Switzerland by Aregger, Martin; Martius, Olivia; Germann, Urs; Hering, Alessandro is a scholarly article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Differential reflectivity columns and hail -- linking C-band radar-based estimated column characteristics to crowdsourced hail observations in Switzerland about?

Differential reflectivity columns (ZDRC) have been shown to provide information about a storm's updraft intensity and size. The updraft's characteristics, in turn, influence a severe storm's propensity to produce hail and the size of said hail. Consequently, there is the potential to use ZDRC for the detection and sizing of hail. In this observational study, we investigate the characteristics of ZDRC (volume, height, area, maximum ZDR within) automatically detected on an operational C-band radar network in Switzerland and relate them to hail on the ground using 173'000 crowdsourced hail reports collected over a period of 3.5 years. We implement an adapted version of an established ZDRC detection algorithm on a 3D composite of ZDR data derived from five Swiss weather radars. The composite, in combination with the dense network of radars located on differing altitudes up to 3000 m.a.s.l, helps to counteract the effects of the complex topography of the study region. The alpine region presents visibility and data quality challenges, which are especially crucial for measuring ZDRC. Our analysis finds ZDRC present in most hail-producing storms, with higher frequencies in storms producing

Author

Aregger, Martin; Martius, Olivia; Germann, Urs; Hering, Alessandro

Published

2024

Language

EN