"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
news
dAdo.13666$_s6.9201@hurricane...
I've been aware that the rainfall radar is less accurate for fine rain but
today has really puzzled me. It was pouring down from at least 10 a.m till
8p.m in East Suffolk today and everywhere else that I drove through down
the A12. It was quite fine rain but enough to cause flooding on the side
roads. When I got home and looked at the day's radar there was only some
patchy light blue echos around. It probably seemed worse as I was out in
it and it contradicted the mainly dry overcast forecast for the region but
I would be interested in any rainfall figures for somewhere near RSPB
Minsmere.
Dave.
Dave, as you say the fine rain/drizzle is often the reason for the radar to
under-read but another factor could well be the distance from the nearest
radar. There's a bit of a gap over Norfolk and Suffolk in terms of high
resolution radar coverage but this should change if/when the proposed radar
at Old Buckenham comes online.
Current radar network
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/...verage_med.gif
The revised network including Old Buckenham can be seen here on page 6
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporat...actsheet15.pdf
and pages 13-16 detail the possible causes of error which may be of interest
(figure 16 on page 13 could well apply today).
Jon.