Satellite precipitation measurement and extreme rainfall

Abstract

Extreme Rainfall can be defined by percentiles of the overall rainfall distribution at a given temporal scale. Generally, the 90th percentile value and above can be considered extreme. While satellite measurements of rainfall provide estimates at global scales and for ever increasing spatial resolution (currently 0.1 km2), the many flavors of satellite precipitation measurement vary widely from algorithm to algorithm especially at the 90th percentile and above. Satellite estimates of extreme rainfall also vary widely based on certain conditions such as over land versus over ocean, over mountainous terrain versus flat terrain, and high latitudes versus the tropics. Finally, all satellite quantitative precipitation estimates are based on algorithms which ultimately include blending and adjustment using rain gauges. Therefore, satellite estimates of extreme rainfall can vary widely based on the algorithm. This chapter provides an overview of extreme rainfall characterization derived from satellite measurements.