Radar reflectivity factor

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-008273",
  "term": "Radar reflectivity factor",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definitions": [
    "A quantitative measure of the radar signal returned from a volume of hydrometeors, representing the sum of the sixth power of the diameters of all droplets in a unit volume. It is proportional to the backscattered power and is a key parameter for estimating precipitation rates. The radar reflectivity factor (Z) is often expressed in units of mm^6 m^-3, or logarithmically as dBZ.",
    "(z) z = the sum (over i) of (N_i * D_i^6), where N_i is the number of drops of diameter D_i in a pulse resolution volume. Note that z may be expressed in linear or logarithmic units. The radar reflectivity factor is simply a more meteorologically meaningful way of expressing the radar reflectivity."
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "radar equation"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/radar-reflectivity-factor/"
}