Legacy Composite Reflectivity - Warning Decision Training Division (WDTD)
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Products Guide
Legacy Composite Reflectivity
Short Description
The maximum reflectivity in a vertical column using all available WSR-88D radars at a horizontal grid point.
Subproducts
None
Primary Users
None. Everyone should use the Composite Reflectivity product derived from the 3D Reflectivity Cube instead.
Input Sources
Single-site WSR-88D radars
Resolution
Spatial Resolution: 0.01o Latitude (~1.11 km) x 0.01o Longitude (~1.01 km at 25oN and 0.73 km at 49oN)
Temporal Resolution: 2 minutes
Product Creation
At each horizontal 2D grid point, the maximum reflectivity value from all available radars at that grid point is retained.
Technical Details
Latest Update: MRMS Version 10
References
None
Strengths
Like all MRMS products, the use of multiple radars is more robust than single-site radar alone. It provides faster updates and helps the forecaster integrate data from multiple radars. It also compensates for cone-of-silence, beam broadening at far ranges, and terrain blockage.
Limitations
The height of the maximum reflectivity is not identified.
Bright band contamination is not removed.
This product is not as good as the Composite Reflectivity product derived from the 3D Reflectivity Cube which removes non-hydrometeorological data.
Quality Control
To see a version with non-meteorological echoes retained (to identify fronts, boundaries, etc.), refer to “Legacy Composite Reflectivity – UnQCed.”
Applications
As with single-radar composite reflectivity, this product is a good situational awareness tool to determine first convective echo, as well as the overall extent of mature thunderstorm echoes (especially in the echo overhang region). To see a version using the 3D Reflectivity Cube, refer to “Composite Reflectivity.”
Example Images
Fig. 1: Legacy Composite Reflectivity for a MCS over Kansas at 0500 UTC on 10 August 2014.