Estimation of Rain Intensity Spectra over the Continental US Using Ground Radar-Gauge Measurements

A high-resolution rainfall product merging surface radar and gauge data is used to explore rain intensity spectra over the US continent. The main focus of the study is to 1) document the climatology of rain intensity spectrum distribution over the US continent using surface radar and gauge data, including their seasonal and regional variations; 2) examine the fraction of light rain occurrence and volume relative to the total rain occurrence and volume, thus providing preliminary estimates of rain events missed by current and future satellite sensors due to their detection capabilities; 3) discuss and clarify some current issues in estimates of rain frequency and rain intensity from satellite measurements and model outputs.