Correction of precipitation based on off-site weather information

Owing to aerodynamic errors, correction of precipitation measurements, liqu id, mixed or solid, is often carried out by means of an explicit mathematic al statistical model. The magnitude of correction, e.g., calculated as a co rrection factor to the observed amount of precipitation, is the dependent v ariable, and wind speed, temperature and a measure of precipitation intensi ty are independent variables entering the correction model. Usually these i ndependent variables are accessible on site where the precipitation measure ments are recorded. However, in many standard precipitation networks the ga uge measurements are not accompanied by on site information of these variab les, and information from remote stations must be used. The aim of the pape r is to describe how the statistical models can be used in evaluating if th e set of remote information of the independent variables can be used for th e estimation of a reliable correction factor on site. The technique is then applied to an example of precipitation network in Denmark where the typica l situation for the standard gauges is that only the amount of precipitatio n is available. It is expected that not only can the methods be adapted to other countries, but for landscapes similar to Denmark even the conclusions can be applied directly: extrapolation of all independent variables from r emote sites should be conducted with caution, wind speed information can be extrapolated from remote sites not farther away than approximately 50 km, while information on rain intensity and temperature can be safely extrapola ted across longer distances. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.