Comparison of lake-effect snow precipitation rates determined from radar and aircraft measurements

Comparisons were made of snow precipitation rates calculated from the effective reflectivity factor measured by a ground-based radar and those estimated from simultaneously measured PMS 200Y probe snow-particle-size spectra for 134 samples from 3 days in lake-effect snow over Lake Michigan. Results show the best agreement when PMS 200Y spectra are used with a size-mass relation similar to those derived from combining reflectivity and PMS probe-measured spectra. Commonly used size-mass relations obtained from direct measurements of particle diameters and masses, when used with PMS 200Y spectra, consistently underestimated snow precipitation rates in these samples. -from Authors