Hail can fool Doppler radar into 'thinking' it's raining harder than it actually is, thereby introducing uncertainty into the issuance of flash flood warnings. S-Pol can more accurately measure the size and shape of raindrops. This helps us spot areas of heavy rainfall and predict the resulting runoff. This summer's deployment at Front Range Airport is the first in the series. Its precision reveals the raindrop's shape, a big clue as to how much water is actually falling.
Small drops tend to be round, while larger drops flatten into hamburger shapes as they fall.
The larger the drops, the heavier the rainfall and the greater the risk of flooding. Dennis Heap, director of aviation at Front Range Airport, donated airport grounds for the experiment. The large white radar dish has been scanning the horizon from its seatainer base on the former north-south runway at the airport's west side. About 125 airplanes from the Denver metro area are based at Front Range, and many more from around the country stop there for fuel.