Developing remote sensing methods to quantify hail fall and impact across varied spatial scales in Southeast Queensland 

Lead researchers:A/Prof Matthew Mason, Dr Joshua Soderholm and Prof Hamish McGowan

Remote sensing tools such as radar and weather satellites are used ubiquitously for estimating the extent and intensity of hail fall. However, despite the widespread use and importance of these methods, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty when linking atmospheric observations of hailstorms to the intensity, extent and duration of hail fall on the ground. Initial work has shown that it is possible to increase the accuracy of hail fall predictions by estimating hail trajectories and modelling hail microphysics, using a newly developed, radar-based model named 'HailTrack' (Brook et. al.; 2021). 

Fieldwork for the new DRIFT project will commence in the September 2026 and run until the end of 2027 and include data collection by mobile weather radar UQ-XPOL, LIDAR, and a recently installed network of automatic weather stations with attached hail pads. 

There are three primary aims of the proposed project.

1. Measure the near-ground (i.e. lowest 2-3 km) wind and hail conditions during severe thunderstorms in Southeast Queensland using UQ’s mobile radar and LIDAR as well as the HailNet network of surface-based hail and wind sensors.

2. Using a new radar-based wind analysis technique [3] and the historical SEQ radar database, develop a database of near-ground wind conditions during historical hailstorms.

3. Explore modifications to existing hail size (MESH) and hail damage (HDE) retrieval methods using the wind fields developed.