Accuracy of Weather Radar Products for Rainfall Estimation in North Sumatra Region

Yolanda Mutiara Tondang (Meteorological Station of Kualanamu)
Marhaposan Situmorang (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Sumatera Utara)
Tulus Ikhsan (Pancabudi University)
Yahya Darmawan (Climatology Department, State Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics (STMKG), South Tangerang)

Prisma Sains: Jurnal Pengkajian Ilmu dan Pembelajaran Matematika dan IPA IKIP Mataram
Vol 11, No 2: April 2023

The weather radar is a remote sensing-based observation tool that identifies and records rainfall. Remote sensing is a technology that determines atmospheric conditions, measures rainfall, and performs other functions. However, the accuracy of weather radar products concerning rainfall estimation need to be evaluated. This research aims to investigate the accuracy of weather radar products for rainfall estimation in North Sumatra. We analyzed the raw weather radar data using RAINBOW software for data processing. We presented the accuracy evaluation between weather data and observation data using several statistical error parameters such as the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Error (ME), and Pearson Correlation (r). The results indicate that the CMAX radar product estimates rainfall better than the PPI and CAPPI products. The CMAX product has the lowest error value and higher correlation coefficient (r), indicating its superior rainfall estimation performance.