DBZ (meteorology)
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- The correct title of this article is dBZ. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
dBZ stands for decibels of Z. It is a meteorological measure of equivalent reflectivity (Z) of a radar signal reflected off a remote object. The reference level for Z is 1 mm6 m-3, which is equal to 1 μm3.
Reflectivity of a cloud is dependent on the number and type of hydrometeors, which includes rain, snow, and hail, and the hydrometeors' size. A large number of small hydrometeors will reflect the same as one large hydrometeor. The signal returned to the radar will be equivalent in both situations, so a group of small hydrometeors is virtually indistinguishable from one large hydrometeor on the resulting radar image.
A meteorologist can determine the difference between one large hydrometeor and a group of small hydrometeors as well as the type of hydrometeor through knowledge of local weather condition contexts.
One dBZ-scale of rain: > 40 heavy, 24-39 moderate and 8-23 light
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