Advanced geostationary radar for hurricane monitoring and studies

Abstract

The current geostationary operational environmental satellites (GOES) are equipped to make cloud top measurements only. In contrast, a millimeter-wave radar allows 3D measurements of precipitation associated with hurricanes and other convective systems. It also provide important inputs for numerical weather prediction models for improving the accuracy of weather nowcasting and forecasting. Recently, a novel instrument concept and the associated critical technologies are being developed for a 35 GHz Doppler radar for detailed monitoring of hurricanes and severe storms from a geostationary orbit. This instrument is designed to be capable of producing rainfall rate at 13-km horizontal resolution and 300-m vertical resolution, and the line-of-sight Doppler velocity at 0.3 m/s precision, of the 3D hurricane structure once per hour throughout its life cycle.