The Operational GOES Infrared Rainfall Estimation Technique
Abstract This paper presents a description, sensitivity analyses, sample results, validation, and the recent progress done on the development of a new satellite rainfall estimation technique in the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The technique, called the auto-estimator, runs in real time for applications to flash flood forecasting, numerical modeling, and operational hydrology. The auto-estimator uses the Geoestationary Operational Environmental Satellite-8 and -9 in the infrared (IR) 10.7-mm band to compute real-time precipitation amounts based on a power-law regression algorithm. This regression is derived from a statistical analysis between surface radar–derived instantaneous rainfall estimates and satellite-derived IR cloud-top temperatures collocated in time and space. The rainfall rate estimates are adjusted for different moisture regimes using the most recent fields of precipitable water and relat...