DIAGNOSIS OF POSSIBLE CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION AND HAIL BASED ON MEASUREMENTS OF THE EARTH'S OUTGOING HEAT RADIATION FROM THE NOAA SATELLITE

M. V. Bukharov and A. A. Alekseeva

A new approach is presented to the estimation of precipitation rate over any underlying surface and to the diagnosis of convective precipitation and hail on the basis of a complex of information of satellite radiometers in microwave and infrared ranges. The approach is based on empirical relationships between meteorological variables, which can be calculated from satellite information. Analysis of the results of diagnosis of convective precipitation and hailstorm cases observed in European Russia in summer 2003 shows their satisfactory agreement with surface observations and satellite estimates of meteorological variables in cloudy areas.