Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The Impact of Precipitation Type Discrimination on Hydrologic Simulation: Rain–Snow Partitioning Derived from HMT-West Radar-Detected Brightband Height versus Surface Temperature Data

Naoki Mizukami Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Naoki Mizukami in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Victor Koren Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Victor Koren in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Michael Smith Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Michael Smith in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
David Kingsmill University of Colorado Boulder, CIRES, and NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado

Search for other papers by David Kingsmill in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Ziya Zhang Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Ziya Zhang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Brian Cosgrove Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Brian Cosgrove in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Zhengtao Cui Office of Hydrologic Development, NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland

Search for other papers by Zhengtao Cui in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Aug 2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-035.1
Page(s):
1139–1158
Restricted access

Abstract

Hourly surface precipitation type (Ptype) grids (a total of 408 h from 1 December 2005 through April 20, 2006) were generated by mapping the elevation of the radar-detected brightband height (BBH) to terrain elevation during the 2005/06 observation period of the western Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT-West) in the North Fork American River basin. BBH Ptype grids were compared to those derived by the standard National Weather Service (NWS) temperature threshold method. In this method, a fixed threshold temperature separating rain and snow was applied to hourly 4-km gridded temperature data. The BBH Ptype grids agreed well (>90%) with the temperature threshold–based grids below an elevation of 1524 m. The agreement dropped to below 60% above this elevation, and BBH Ptype produced more rainfall than the temperature-based Ptype. Continuous hourly streamflow simulations were generated using spatially lumped and distributed hydrologic models with and without the BBH Ptype data from 1 October 2005 through 30 September 2006. Simple insertion of BBH Ptype data did not always improve streamflow simulations for the 11 events examined relative to corresponding simulations using temperature threshold–derived precipitation type, possibly because of the use of the models calibrated with the temperature-based Ptype. The simple sensitivity test indicated simulations of both peak flows from midwinter storms and spring snowmelt runoff are affected by errors in precipitation type estimates.

Current affiliation: Research Application Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado.

Corresponding author address: Naoki Mizukami, Research Application Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307. E-mail: mizukami@ucar.edu

Abstract

Hourly surface precipitation type (Ptype) grids (a total of 408 h from 1 December 2005 through April 20, 2006) were generated by mapping the elevation of the radar-detected brightband height (BBH) to terrain elevation during the 2005/06 observation period of the western Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT-West) in the North Fork American River basin. BBH Ptype grids were compared to those derived by the standard National Weather Service (NWS) temperature threshold method. In this method, a fixed threshold temperature separating rain and snow was applied to hourly 4-km gridded temperature data. The BBH Ptype grids agreed well (>90%) with the temperature threshold–based grids below an elevation of 1524 m. The agreement dropped to below 60% above this elevation, and BBH Ptype produced more rainfall than the temperature-based Ptype. Continuous hourly streamflow simulations were generated using spatially lumped and distributed hydrologic models with and without the BBH Ptype data from 1 October 2005 through 30 September 2006. Simple insertion of BBH Ptype data did not always improve streamflow simulations for the 11 events examined relative to corresponding simulations using temperature threshold–derived precipitation type, possibly because of the use of the models calibrated with the temperature-based Ptype. The simple sensitivity test indicated simulations of both peak flows from midwinter storms and spring snowmelt runoff are affected by errors in precipitation type estimates.

Current affiliation: Research Application Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado.

Corresponding author address: Naoki Mizukami, Research Application Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307. E-mail: mizukami@ucar.edu
Save
Cover Journal of Hydrometeorology
Journal of Hydrometeorology

  • Anderson, E. A., 1973: National Weather Service river forecast system: Snow accumulation and ablation model. NOAA Tech. Memo. NWS-HYDRO-17, 236 pp. [Available online at http://ia701202.us.archive.org/2/items/nationalweathers00ande/nationalweathers00ande.pdf.]

  • Auer, A. H., 1974: The rain versus snow threshold temperature. Weatherwise, 27, 67.

  • Budyko, M. I., 1974: Climate and Life. Academic Press, 508 pp.

  • Burnash, R. J. C., Ferral R. L. , and McGuire R. J. , 1973: A generalized streamflow simulation system: Conceptual models for digital computers. Tech. Rep., Joint Federal State River Forecast Center, Sacramento, CA, 204 pp.

  • Dai, A., 2008: Temperature and pressure dependence of the rain-snow phase transition over land and ocean. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L12802, doi:10.1029/2008GL033295.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Daly, C., Neilson R. P. , and Phillips D. L. , 1994: A statistical-topographic model for mapping climatological precipitation over mountainous terrain. J. Appl. Meteor., 33, 140–158.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Daly, C., Halbleib M. , Smith J. I. , Gibson W. P. , Doggett M. K. , Taylor G. H. , Curtis J. , and Pasteris P. P. , 2008: Physiographically sensitive mapping of climatological temperature and precipitation across the conterminous United States. Int. J. Climatol., 28, 2031–2064.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Dettinger, M., Redmond K. , and Cayan D. , 2004: Winter orographic precipitation ratios in the Sierra Nevada—Large-scale atmospheric circulations and hydrologic consequences. J. Hydrometeor., 5, 1102–1116.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Guan, B., Molotch N. P. , Waliser D. E. , Fetzer E. J. , and Neiman P. J. , 2010: Extreme snowfall events linked to atmospheric rivers and surface air temperature via satellite measurements. Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L20401, doi:10.1029/2010GL044696.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hartman, R. K., 2010: Hydrologic forecasting in mountainous terrain presentation. 2010 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Amer. Geophys. Union, Abstract H21H-05.

  • Jeton, A. E., Dettinger M. D. , and Smith J. L. , 1996: Potential effects of climate change on streamflow, eastern and western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, California and Nevada. USGS Water Resources Investigations Rep. 95-4260, 44 pp. [Available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1995/4260/report.pdf.]

  • Kienzle, S. W., 2008: A new temperature based method to separate rain and snow. Hydrol. Processes, 22, 5067–5085.

  • Kingsmill, D. E., White A. B. , Gottas D. J. , and Neiman P. J. , 2008: Spatial variability of the snow level across the northern California Sierra Nevada. Preprints, 13th Conf. on Mountain Meteorology, Whistler, B.C., Canada, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 6A.3. [Available online at https://ams.confex.com/ams/13MontMet17AP/techprogram/paper_140814.htm.]

  • Koren, V., Reed S. , Smith M. , Zhang Z. , and Seo D.-J. , 2004: Hydrology laboratory research modeling system (HL-RMS) of the US national weather service. J. Hydrol., 291, 297–318.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • L'hôte, Y., Chevallier P. , Coudrain A. , Lejeune Y. , and Etchevers P. , 2005: Relationship between precipitation phase and air temperature: Comparison between the Bolivian Andes and the Swiss Alps. Hydrol. Sci. J., 50, 989–997.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lee, H., Seo D.-J. , and Koren V. , 2011: Assimilation of streamflow and in situ soil moisture data into operational distributed hydrologic models: Effects of uncertainties in the data and initial model soil moisture states. Adv. Water Resour., 34, 1597–1615.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lettenmaier, D., and Gan T. , 1990: Hydrologic sensitivities of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River basin, California, to global warming. Water Resour. Res., 26, 69–86.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lundquist, J. D., Neiman P. J. , Martner B. , White A. B. , Gottas D. J. , and Ralph F. M. , 2008: Rain versus snow in the Sierra Nevada, California: Comparing Doppler profiling radar and surface observations of melting level. J. Hydrometeor., 9, 194–211.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Martner, B. E., Snider J. B. , Zamora R. J. , Byrd G. P. , Niziol T. A. , and Joe P. I. , 1993: A remote-sensing view of a freezing-rain storm. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 2562–2577.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Maurer, E. P., and Mass C. , 2006: Using radar data to partition precipitation into rain and snow in a hydrologic model. J. Hydrol. Eng., 11, 214–221.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • McCuen, R. H., and Snyder W. M. , 1975: A proposed index for comparing hydrographs. Water Resour. Res., 11, 1021–1024.

  • Medina, S., Smull B. F. , Houze R. A. , and Steiner M. , 2005: Cross-barrier flow during orographic precipitation events: Results from MAP and IMPROVE. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 3580–3598.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Minder, J. R., and Kingsmill D. E. , 2013: Mesoscale variations of the atmospheric snow line over the northern Sierra Nevada: Multiyear statistics, case study, and mechanisms. J. Atmos. Sci., 70, 916–938.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Minder, J. R., Mote P. W. , and Lundquist J. D. , 2010: Surface temperature lapse rates over complex terrain: Lessons from the Cascade Mountains. J. Geophys. Res., 115, D14122, doi:10.1029/2009JD013493.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Minder, J. R., Durran D. R. , and Roe G. H. , 2011: Mesoscale controls on the mountainside snow line. J. Atmos. Sci., 68, 2107–2127.

  • Parton, W. J., and Logan J. A. , 1981: A model for diurnal variation in soil and air temperature. Agric. Meteor., 23, 205–216.

  • Pepin, N. C., Losleben M. , Hartman M. , and Chowanski K. , 2005: A comparison of SNOTEL and GHCN/CRU surface temperatures with free-air temperatures at high elevations in the western United States: Data compatibility and trends. J. Climate, 18, 1967–1985.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ralph, F. M., and Dettinger M. D. , 2011: Storms, floods, and the science of atmospheric rivers. Eos, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 92, 265–266.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ralph, F. M., and Coauthors, 2005: Improving short-term (0–48 h) cool-season quantitative precipitation forecasting: Recommendations from a USWRP workshop. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 86, 1619–1632.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Reed, S., and Maidment D. R. , 1999: Coordinate transformations for using NEXRAD data in GIS-based hydrologic modeling. J. Hydrol. Eng., 4, 174–182.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Reed, S., Koren V. , Smith M. , Zhang Z. , Moreda F. , Seo D.-J. , and DMIP Participants, 2004: Overall distributed model intercomparison project results. J. Hydrol., 298, 27–60.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Rohrer, M. D., 1989: Determination of the transition air temperature from snow to rain and intensity of precipitation. Precipitation Measurement, B. Sevruk, Ed., WMO/IAHS/ETH, 475–482.

  • Ryzhkov, A. V., and Zrnic D. S. , 1998: Discrimination between rain and snow with a polarimetric radar. J. Appl. Meteor., 37, 1228–1240.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Seo, D.-J., 1998: Real-time estimation of rainfall fields using radar rainfall and rain gage data. J. Hydrol., 208, 37–52.

  • Seo, D.-J., Cajina L. , Corby R. , and Howieson T. , 2009: Automatic state updating for operational streamflow forecasting via variational data assimilation. J. Hydrol., 367, 255–275.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Serreze, M. C., Clark M. P. , Armstrong R. L. , McGinnis D. A. , and Pulwarty R. S. , 1999: Characteristics of the western United States snowpack from snowpack telemetry (SNOTEL) data. Water Resour. Res., 35, 2145–2160.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Shamir, E., and Georgakakos K. P. , 2006: Distributed snow accumulation and ablation modeling in the American River basin. Adv. Water Resour., 29, 558–570.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Smith, B. L., Yuter S. E. , Neiman P. J. , and Kingsmill D. E. , 2010: Water vapor fluxes and orographic precipitation over northern California associated with a landfalling atmospheric river. Mon. Wea. Rev., 138, 74–100.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Smith, M. B., Laurine D. P. , Koren V. I. , Reed S. M. , and Zhang Z. , 2003: Hydrologic model calibration in the National Weather Service. Calibration of Watershed Models, Q. Duan et al., Eds., Water Science and Application, Vol. 6, Amer. Geophys. Union, 133–152.

  • Smith, M. B., Seo D.-J. , Koren V. I. , Reed S. M. , Zhang Z. , Duan Q. , Moreda F. , and Cong S. , 2004: The distributed model intercomparison project (DMIP): Motivation and experiment design. J. Hydrol., 298, 4–26.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Smith, M. B., Koren V. , Zhang Z. , Cui Z. , Mizukami N. , Cosgrove B. , Ding F. , and Kitzmiller D. , 2010a: Distributed Model Intercomparison Project phase 2: Results of the western basin experiments. 2010 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Amer. Geophys. Union, Abstract H23A-1171.

  • Smith, M. B., and Coauthors, 2010b: Development of gridded QPE datasets for mountainous area distributed hydrologic modeling. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2010, Providence, RI, ASCE, 601.

  • Smith, M. B., and Coauthors, 2012a: Results of the DMIP 2 Oklahoma experiments. J. Hydrol., 418–419, 17–48.

  • Thériault, J. M., and Stewart R. E. , 2008: Rain–snow boundaries along mountains. Preprints, 13th Conf. on Mountain Meteorology, Whistler, B.C., Canada, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 6A.5. [Available online at https://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/141021.pdf.]

  • United States Army Corps of Engineers, 1956: Snow Hydrology: Summary Report of the Snow Investigations. North Pacific Division, USACE, 437 pp.

  • White, A. B., Gottas D. J. , Strem E. T. , Ralph F. M. , and Neiman P. J. , 2002: An automated brightband height detection algorithm for use with Doppler radar spectral moments. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 19, 687–697.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • White, A. B., Gottas D. J. , Henkel A. F. , Neiman P. J. , Ralph F. M. , and Gutman S. I. , 2010: Developing a performance measure for snow-level forecasts. J. Hydrometeor., 11, 739–753.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • White, A. B., and Coauthors, 2012: NOAA's rapid response to the Howard A. Hanson Dam flood risk management crisis. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 93, 189–207.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wigmosta, M. S., Vail L. W. , and Lettenmaier D. P. , 1994: A distributed hydrology-vegetation model for complex terrain. Water Resour. Res., 30, 1665–1679.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yang, Z.-L., Dickinson R. E. , Robock A. , and Vinnikov K. Y. , 1997: Validation of the snow submodel of the biosphere–atmosphere transfer scheme with Russian snow cover and meteorological observational data. J. Climate, 10, 353–373.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yatheendradas, S., and Coauthors, 2012: Distributed assimilation of satellite-based snow extent for improving simulated streamflow in mountainous, dense forests: An example over the DMIP2 western basins. Water Resour. Res., 48, W09557, doi:10.1029/2011WR011347.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 262 0 0
Full Text Views 863 572 32
PDF Downloads 199 62 4