Analysis of radar and gauge rainfall during the warm season in Oklahoma

During June 2007 the Oklahoma state wide average rainfall set a new all time record of 9.1 inches. There were 92 separate reports of flooding with several mesonet stations’ June rainfall total exceeding 17 inches. The record rainfall combined with a dense mesonet and seamless radar coverage provided a wealth of information for studying radar-gauge relationships in fine spatial and temporal detail. Over 25,000 5-minute radar-gauge observational pairs were examined for various factors such as the z/r uncertainties in relation to different precipitation regimes. Further, uncertainties in rainfall observations as a result of hail and wind were also investigated. The analysis results indicate a wide range of challenges and issues associated with radar-gauge comparisons. The results also suggest possible strategies in quantifying and mitigating the uncertainties in quantitative precipitation estimation that employ radar and gauge observations.