The MRMS Aviation Product Suite Expansion Plans

Over the coming years, the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) aviation product suite will be significantly expanded in four primary areas: New acquisitions, quality and assurance tools, hydrometeor classification, and threat-specific algorithms. The higher profile projects include the creation of new domains over the Caribbean and West Pacific, inclusion of commercial radars in high-resolution, rapidly updating subdomains, a new radar icing algorithm, tools to discriminate between various winter precipitation classes such as FZRA, PL and FZDZ, a Zdr-column detection algorithm, 3D hail mosaic, and interpolation of various 3D fields to flight levels. This broad expansion relies on input and collaborative relations with various entities including the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the NOAA/Global Systems Division, the National Transportation and Safety Board, the Aviation Weather Center, the NWS/Warning Decision Training Division, and the Federal Aviation Administration. The new product suite will be introduced, our methods for assessing the utility of the products as well as the quality and assurance measures that will be taken will be discussed. Last, the various interagency efforts will be highlighted.