Gauge, radar, and merged rainfall estimates show complete WG11 storm coverage for almost all events. We intercompared all three estimates by first examining the corresponding areal average cumulative rain depth series. Figures 2a (top)–2d (top) show the data for four events. As expected, the NWS and the Morin et al. [2005] radar estimates match in shape, since the revised hail threshold did not cut off the peak intensities here. However, discrepancies in magnitude and in shape are seen between gauge and radar estimates, likely due to evaporation impacts and the radar-gauge time lag, or both. These discrepancies may also be due to radar operational problems, such as the clutter suppression effect wherein the radar algorithm may mistake a highly stationary rain field as background clutter and filter it out. The reflectivity (Z) estimates for event 1 are believed to be contaminated with this type of error (E. Pytlak, NOAA NWS, personal communication, 2006). Table 2 also shows a significant range in the ratio of the Morin et al. [2005] radar reflectivity-rain (Z-R) estimates to gauge values.