Radar Weather Online
Karly Ruwet
The Weather Radar Map Live page shows areas where precipitation is currently expected. A weather radar can determine the precipitation type (rain, snow, hail, etc.) and spot its location. With the help of a weather radar map, it is also possible to predict where the rain will be moving next and how intense it will be. A modern weather radar is mostly a Doppler radar that can detect the motion of rain droplets in addition to the intensity. It is possible to analyze both types of data in order to identify if the storm can cause severe weather.
The precipitation type is marked with different colors on the map. Rain and snow are shown in blue whereas showers are marked with orange and red, and hail - with pink. We are also working on the display of the mix of precipitation types, such as rain, freezing rain, sleet, and/or snow.
RainViewer has access to the data from more than 1000 weather radars across the world. Having analyzed this data, the app shows the current weather forecast and how the weather will be changing during the day. Thanks to its extensive radar coverage, RainViewer can also generate an accurate weather forecast for the next week.
I am attempting to create a map weather map on ArcGIS Online. I am able to add layers that are available from ESRI and the NWS site itself. The static layers do not give any issues, however, when I attempt to link a layer that is timed (looped) it does not work.
The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system is a network of 160 high-resolution S-band Doppler weather radars jointly operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the U.S. Air Force. The NEXRAD system detects precipitation and wind, and its data can be processed to map precipitation patterns and movement. NCEI provides access to archived NEXRAD Level-II data and Level-III products.
Digital data is available for free, and paper copies can be purchased and certified. See Data Certification for more information on hard copy radar products, pricing, and certification information. NEXRAD data can be accessed through the following data access services:
This dataset contains the Level-I (L1) raw radar event data recorded at Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) sites and collected by the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Operations Center (ROC) for specific radar case studies. It includes only the Level 1 data that has been used for algorithm development and verification by the ROC and its partners. NEXRAD operational sites and test sites are used. The period of record is from 2008 to present with additional data years planned. The number of case studies per year ranges from 1 to 33, with an average of approximately 10 per year. The data files are in the native compressed file format as Time Series (TS) Archive. The data files have been aggregated by event and by hour for the archive with a total data volume of approximately 20 TB. An event summary file with descriptive information is included for each case study. An inventory of events is available here [add link].
A measure of the radial component of the wind either toward the radar (negative values) or away from the radar (positive values). Cool colors (green) represent negative values and warm colors (red) represent positive values. Scientists use these products to estimate wind speed and direction, locate boundaries, locate severe weather signatures, and identify suspected areas of turbulence.
This product generates a color coded image that shows the height of an echo top. Scientists use this product to quickly estimate the most intense convection and higher echo tops, as an aid to identify storm structure features, and for pilot briefing purposes. The EET version of the product provided a higher spatial resolution, and enhanced processing, including identification of weather that is higher than the radar can scan.
This product plots wind barbs on a height staff in 1,000-ft. increments. The current (far right) and up to 10 previous plots may be displayed simultaneously. This product is an excellent tool for meteorologists in weather forecasting, severe weather, and aviation.
Differential Reflectivity values are measurements related to the returned energy difference between the vertically and horizontally polarized radar pulses. Large positive values indicate wider targets. Values near zero indicate the targets are generally spherical. Negative values indicate targets are larger in the vertical than in the horizontal. Products from elevation angles at or below 3.5 degrees are available, and select sites may also scan at an additional low elevation angle, as low as -0.2 degrees.
Hydrometeor Classification is a computer algorithm output that tries to classify targets in the radar volume. The product compares targets to a set of predefined categories, and displays a list of the most likely echo sources.
Melting Layer is a computer algorithm output that determines the atmospheric melting point for frozen precipitation. This product provides information about the state (frozen, melting, or fully liquid) of precipitation at different altitudes in a particular area. This product is generated for each elevation angle that the radar scans and can be particularly useful for tracking icing conditions above the surface. It may have problems when surface temperatures are below freezing, in mountainous locations, or when data needed for the algorithm is limited. When radar echoes are insufficient for the algorithm to work properly, it will default to the manually entered or model generated freezing level data.
One-Hour Precipitation (N1P/78)This product displays estimated one-hour precipitation accumulation on a 1.1-nm x 1-degree grid using the Precipitation Processing System (PPS) algorithm. This product assesses rainfall intensities for flash flood warnings, urban flood statements, and special weather statements.
N3p/79 charts estimated three-hour precipitation accumulation on a 1.1-nm x 1-degree grid using the Precipitation Processing System (PPS) algorithm. This product assesses rainfall intensities for flash flood warnings, urban flood statements, and special weather statements.
The Digital Precipitation Array is a format of estimated one-hour precipitation accumulations on the 1/4Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) or 4.7625 km Hydrographic Rainfall Analysis Project (HRAP) grid. This is an 8-bit product with 255 possible precipitation values. This product assesses rainfall intensities for flash flood warnings, urban flood statements, and special weather statements.
A three-part message containing a tabular listing of composite reflectivity data, a vertical wind profile derived from the VAD algorithm, and the locations of algorithm-produced severe weather features such as the Hail Index (HI) and the Tornado Vortex Signature (TVS).
In 1988, the NEXRAD agencies established the WSR-88D NOAA Radar Operations Center (ROC) in Norman, Oklahoma. The ROC provides centralized meteorological, software, maintenance, and engineering support for all WSR-88D systems. These systems are modified and enhanced during their operational life to meet changing requirements, technology advances, and improved understanding of the application of these systems to real-time weather operations. The ROC also operates test systems for hardware development and software upgrades to enhance maintenance, operation, and provide new functionality.
The WSR-88D is made up of two functional components: Radar Data Acquisition (RDA) and the Radar Product Generator (RPG). RPG products are widely distributed and displayed on various radar product visualization systems. To adequately sample the atmosphere, the WSR-88D employs nine scanning strategies or Volume Coverage Patterns (VCPs). A VCP is a series of 360-degree sweeps of the antenna at predetermined elevation angles completed in a specified period of time. Other scan strategies are currently under development for the future.
Volume Coverage Patterns 11 and 21 (removed in 2018, with WSR-88D Build 18.0)The Precipitation Mode uses these VCPs to better sample the vertical structure of convective weather echoes and improve temporal resolution. VCP 11 provides better vertical sampling of weather echoes than VCP 21 and is usually preferred in situations where convective precipitation is within 60 nautical miles (nmi) of the antenna. The VCP 11 has 14 elevation angles and completes 16 azimuthal scans in five minutes, while VCP 21 has nine elevation angles and completes 11 azimuthal scans in six minutes.
This VCP has the same number of elevation angles as VCP 11. However, denser vertical sampling at lower elevation angles provides better vertical definition of storms, improves the detection capability of radars impacted by terrain blockage for better rainfall and snowfall estimates, results in the identification of more storms, and provides quicker updates. This VCP has 14 elevation angles and completes 17 azimuthal scans in about 4.5 minutes.
Many of these VCPs may also include scanning features such as AVSET, Base Tilt, and SAILS or MRLE. Automated Volume Scan Evaluation and Termination (AVSET) concludes a VCP at angles 6.2 degrees or above based on weather coverage at high elevations. Base Tilt adds an additional elevation scan lower than 0.5 degrees at select radar sites. Supplemental Adaptive Intra-Volume Low-Level Scan (SAILS) repeats the lowest elevation angle up to 3 times during a VCP, while Mid-Volume Rescan of Low-Level Elevations (MRLE) repeats up to the lowest 4 elevation angles during a VCP.
Stay informed and safe during severe weather. Use our live interactive radar tools with custom overlays and alerts on Fox11online.com and our FOX 11 Weather App. Severe weather notifications on our app can be set to your specific location, even while traveling.
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We are now leveraging our big data smarts to deliver on the promise of IoT. By integrating our hyper-local weather data with Smart Home connected devices we are delievering predictive energy efficiency insight to homeowners and Utility companies.
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