Optimising the accuracy of radar products with dual polarisation

Improving the accuracy and reliability of the radar network to fully exploit and bring into operation the latest technology.

• From: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Environment Agency
• Published: 24 February 2021

• Category: Managing flood incidents
• Topics: Big data, Communicating risk, Flood forecasting, Flood risk assessment, Flood warning, Incident management, Monitoring and detection
• Project status: Completed
• Project code: SC130007
• Date of completion: 16 March 2018

Documents

Optimising the accuracy of_radar products with dual_polarisation - summary (146 KB) PDF

Optimising the accuracy of radar products with dual polarisation - Cymraeg (Welsh language) summary (152 KB) PDF

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Details

Rainfall forecast data generated at the Met Office is vital for providing weather and flood warnings. This project looked at ways of improving the accuracy and reliability of the radar network as well as fully exploiting and bringing into operation the latest technology. Radar is particularly important in detecting localised rainfall (often not detected or under-sampled by rain gauge networks), especially where it falls on catchments prone to flash flooding.

The upgrade to the UK’s dual polarisation radar network in 2016 and the updated data analysis methods from this study means that we can make a step change in the accuracy of rainfall estimates. We can do this in particular in very intense

Project Benefits Dual Polarisation

Published 24 February 2021