Wkow Weather Radar (2024)

FAQs

How do you read weather radar data? ›

Warm colors (red) / positive values indicate wind moving away from the radar (along a radial). Cool colors (green) / negative values indicate wind moving toward the radar. Purple indicates “range folding”— where the radar cannot determine the radial velocity. Velocity image of a large-scale weather system.

Note the bright red, or strong outbound velocities right next to the bright green, or inbound velocities. This indicates a strongly rotating column of air. When coupled with a reflectivity pattern that exhibits a hook signature, as in this case, there is often a tornado occurring or about to occur.

Doppler radars work by transmitting short pulses of radio waves, then listening for returning signals that are reflected off a target, raindrops or snowflakes, back to the radar antenna. When the pulse hits a moving target, the phase of the returned signal is "shifted" or changed.

Weather surveillance radars such as the WSR-88D can detect most precipitation within approximately 80 nautical miles (nm) of the radar, and intense rain or snow within approximately 140 nm. However, light rain, light snow, or drizzle from shallow cloud weather systems are not necessarily detected.

Black dots represent divergence centers. Arrow length is proportional to wind speed. Negative (positive) Doppler velocities represent flow toward (away from) the radar. ( larger image)

Purples and blues indicate the strongest winds, while dark greens are lighter winds. The greyish shades in the middle of the spectrum indicate very light winds or none at all. Then the right side indicates echoes moving away from the radar.

As a thunderstorm develops, strengthens and begins to rotate, a hook shape can appear on the edge of the storm on radar. As the storm intensifies, the hook can become very prominent on radar in the area of the storm that can spawn a tornado.

What color is a tornado on the radar? Most sources that publish radar images or videos of tornado events use the two main colors, red and green. Red indicates the winds moving away from the radar whereas green displays the winds moving toward the radar.

An approaching cloud of debris especially at ground level, even if a funnel is not visible; A loud roar - similar to a freight train - or a strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm. A change in the color of the sky. Debris dropping from the sky.

In addition, the radar image will not show echos from precipitation that lies outside the radar's beam, either because the precipitation is too high above the radar, or because it is so close to the Earth's surface that it lies beneath the radar's beam.

How can weather radar be wrong? ›

If a radar gun hasn't been properly (or recently) calibrated, it can yield a bad reading—just like a scale that isn't calibrated to “zero” will tell you the wrong weight. Weather conditions. Inclement weather, especially high winds, can affect the radar gun's returns.

This comprehensive test analyzed over 25 million weather forecasts in more than 1,000 locations globally, and AccuWeather was the clear winner in high- and low-temperature forecasts, proving to have the lowest average absolute error and the greatest percentage of forecast accuracy within 3 degrees F.

AccuWeather is Most Accurate Source of Weather Forecasts and Warnings in the World, Recognized in New Proof of Performance Results.

Rain Intensity and Droplet Size: Light rainfall or drizzle consists of tiny water droplets. These droplets might be too small for the radar to detect effectively.

If precipitation is severe, watch boxes will also show up in addition to precipitation intensity. Red dashed = tornado watch. Red solid = tornado warning. Yellow dashed = severe thunderstorm watch. Yellow solid = severe thunderstorm warning.

Darker areas in the image represent low backscatter, brighter areas represent high backscatter. Radar images highlight the differences in surface roughness, geometry and moisture content of objects on the surface.