Measuring Precipitation Fields Using Radar and Rain Gaugers

The article describes ground-based measurements of precipitation by a network of ground-based precipitation gauges. The main task is to restore the precipitation field from the values measured at reference points (location of precipitation gauges). Precipitation fields were measured using a network of automatic weather stations Vantage Pro2 created at the High Mountain Geophysical Institute. For remote measurement and construction of precipitation fields for various local areas of the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) and adjacent areas, data from a meteorological radar located at the research site of the High-Mountain Geophysical Institute “Kyzburun” are used. The data from it were sent to the FTP server of the High Mountain Geophysical Institute, from where they were further used upon request to construct sediment fields. Similar studies of the precipitation regime were carried out for the catchment area of the Nalchik River. When carrying out radar measurements of precipitation, the entire length of the Nalchik River was conditionally divided into three approximately equal sections: the upper, middle and lower reaches. In this case, the catchment was divided into squares 2 × 2 km. The conducted studies of precipitation fields for the territory of Nalchik and surrounding villages in June 2012 showed that the average precipitation layer is 31.2% less than that obtained according to the data of the Kabardino-Balkarian Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. The method of constructing precipitation fields can be used to predict nano-water floods of storm origin and monitor mudflow hazard.