The
performance of the WSR-88D's precipitation algorithms in a tropical environment
is demonstratedby comparing observed six/twelve hour cumulative rainfall amounts
from LARC rain gauges (in Figure 6) to computed calues from radar algorithms.
Results show that the standard algorithm (orange) seriously underestimates the
rainfall rate (blue) on Oahu for the flood event of 25 January 1996. An
algorithm tuned to the tropical drop-size distribution does much better (red).