Statistic prediction techniques of rain attenuation starting from pluviometric statistics

A method to predict the statistics of microwave attenuation caused by rain events in ground links or satellite-ground links is presented. The method requires knowledge of the rain intensity which exceeds the annual average by 0.01%. This value in mm/hr substitutes the total annual precipitation in mm which was used up till now to characterize geographic locations. The 0.01% attenuation limit is seen as the product of a specific alternation which is a function of rain parameters and the equivalent link length. The parameters used are the same for large areas, since the same vertical and horizontal rain structure is assumed. The parameter values valid for Italy were determined.