Hail Detection with a Differential Reflectivity Radar

Abstract

A major objective in the remote sensing of convective storms by radar is the clear and reliable differentiation between regions of hail and regions of rainfall. This report describes the application of the differential reflectivity (Z(DR)) radar technique to the problem of hail detection. The procedure is based on the markedly different polarization-dependent backscatter characteristics of rain and hail. Field experiments conducted in Colorado during the spring of 1983 provide significant evidence of hail detection with this new radar technique.