Legacy Composite Reflectivity - Warning Decision Training Division (WDTD)

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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: 0.01^o Latitude (~1.11 km) x 0.01^o Longitude (~1.01 km at 25^oN and 0.73 km at 49^oN)

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.