Wind shear Detection Algorithm Verified using Cases from NEXRAD

Windshear is a generic term referring to any rapidly changing wind currents and it’s a hazardous weather condition that can be the reason of airplane crashes. It can be caused by microbursts, a type of weather phenomenon which are local, short-lived downdrafts that radiate outward as they rush toward the ground. In this paper, an automatic microburst detection algorithm (AMDA)[1] is used to locate the windshear area, using 21 cases observed by dual-polarization radar of NEXRAD to verify the practicability and effectiveness of this algorithm. The result shows that the probability of detection based on AMDA is higher than 90%. Furthermore, referring to the wind-shear rating standard (1967) from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and WMO (World Meteorological Organization), a windshear rating method for ground-based radar is presented.