Assessing Convective‐Stratiform Precipitation Regimes in the Tropics and Extratropics With the GPM Satellite Radar

Abstract An 8‐year climatology of raintype observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement dual‐frequency precipitation radar highlights two stratiform rain producing storm regimes differentiated by relative importance convection. The more convectively active regime occurs in tropics and over warm‐season midlatitude land, where warm‐ cold‐topped convection accounts for 55% (40%) (rain area). less dominates ocean cold‐season convective only 15% (8%) ratio between area is highly distinct (22% vs. 5.5%), with different amounts (and thus heating) similar areas. A third tropics‐only warm‐topped exists, but not associated major production.