Abstract. Leading edge erosion (LEE) of wind turbine blades is caused by the impact of hydrometeors, which appear in solid or liquid phase. A reduction of the wind turbine blades’ tip speed during severe precipitation events can mitigate LEE. To apply such an erosion-safe mode, a precipitation nowcast is required. Theoretical considerations indicate that the time a raindrop needs to fall to the ground is sufficient to reduce the tip speed. Furthermore, it is described that a compact vertical pointing radar that measures rain in different heights with a sufficient high spatio-temporal resolution can nowcast rain for an erosion-safe mode.