Intellicast HD - Weather Radar, Storm Tracking, Precision Forecasts, and Maps by WSI Corporation (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Intellicast radar? ›

Intellicast Merges with Weather Underground

Starting January 17, 2019, we began redirecting traffic from Intellicast.com to wunderground.com. Even though the Intellicast name and website will be going away, the technology and features that you have come to rely on will continue to live on wunderground.com.

NEXRAD or Nexrad (Next-Generation Radar) is a network of 159 high-resolution S-band Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the United States Department of Commerce, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ...

Radar can decipher how far away precipitation is, its speed and how big droplets or snowflakes are. This data can then be used in computer forecasting models to predict future weather trends, while alerting meteorologists to upcoming precipitation, storms or severe weather.

Most weather radars have wavelengths that range between 0.8 centimeters (cm) and 10.0 cm. Generally short wavelengths mean smaller and less expensive equipment. Short wavelength radars are more effective in detecting small particles such as cloud droplets and drizzle drops.

A hook-shaped extension appears on the radar image (“echo”) of the precipitation (rain and often also hail) from a thunderstorm. Take a look at the colors. In RainViewer, a tornado typically appears as a small pink area surrounded by a larger blue area.

A computer draws a station model for each observation location. The station model is primarily used on surface-weather maps, but can also be used to show the weather aloft. A completed station-model map allows users to analyze patterns in air pressure, temperature, wind, cloud cover, and precipitation.

The WSR-88D is considered by many to be the most powerful radar in the world, transmitting at 750,000 watts (an average light bulb is only 75 watts)! This power enables a beam of energy generated by the radar to travel long distances, and detect many kinds of weather phenomena.

AccuWeather gathers the best and most comprehensive weather data to deliver forecasts with Superior Accuracy. Forecasts are pinpointed for every location on Earth and extend further ahead than any other source.

The National Weather Service's 148 WSR-88D Doppler radars can detect most precipitation within approximately 90 mi of the radar, and intense rain or snow within approximately 155 mi. However, light rain, light snow, or drizzle from shallow cloud weather systems are not necessarily detected.

The colors are typically a spectrum. The greens indicate light or moderate rainfall. Yellow, orange, and red indicate moderate to heavy rainfall and can also indicate hail. Whites or blues mean snowfall and pink indicates freezing rain, sleet, or a wintry mix.

Does radar work in rain? ›

Yes, police can use radar in the rain. However, certain factors can affect the accuracy and efficiency of radar systems during bad weather. Our findings show that, while radar systems are robust, heavy rain can reduce their range.

Police radar transmits radio waves on a specific frequency, and the three frequency bands currently in use (in North America) are X-band, K-band, and Ka-band. X-band is nearly obsolete, yet maybe encountered near automatic doors or in rural areas with small police departments.

Over-the-horizon radar

This permits target detection at distances from about 500 to 2,000 nautical miles (900 to 3,700 km).

The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz).

Black dot represents the center of the flow. Arrow length is proportional to wind speed. Negative (positive) Doppler velocities represent flow toward (away from) the radar. ( larger image)

On a weather radar map, a tornado is usually indicated by a smaller area of red surrounded by a larger area of green. However, modern radar systems can also indicate debris balls, a sign of a tornado on the ground.

Texas and Kansas average the most tornadoes each year. Other parts of the Plains, South and Midwest also have a high number of tornadoes annually. The Northeast and West have the lowest number of annual tornadoes.

The location of the colored radar echoes indicate where precipitation is falling and the various colors indicate the intensity of the precipitation through the color code in the legend below. Shades of blue represent lighter precipitation while red and purple indicate heavier precipitation.

Atmospheric pressure is measured with an instrument on the ground called a barometer, and these measurements are collected at many locations across the U.S. by the National Weather Service. On weather maps, these readings are represented as a blue “H” for high pressure or a red “L” for low pressure.

An Occluded Front forms when a warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses. The warm air mass rises as the cool air masses push and meet in the middle.

Are radar summary charts still used? ›

The black and white Radar Summary Chart saw its last transmission from the NWS back in June, 2013. The FAA released a new computer testing supplement for the Sport, Recreational, and Private tests later that year with the old chart still a part of the test.

"Wunderground discontinued their weather camera service on 10/21/2021. AmbientWeather.net has it's own weather camera service with time lapse video and weather data overlay."

raining water creats clutter and disrupts the radar waves…. This doesn't mean that it makes radars totally dysfunctional but yes, it makes them inaccurate.. means one can know very well that a flying object is approaching but can't target it effectively….

Final answer: Doppler radar provides the key advantage of determining an object's velocity or speed relative to the radar's position, which conventional radar systems cannot do. Consequently, Doppler radar is crucial for improved weather forecasting and safety measures.