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I was wondering how the weather radar knows what type of precipitation is falling in the atmosphere and how accurate is it?
John S. Riverdale, Utah
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Ok, so let's talk about how the radar works. The radar operates by sending out a signal, that signal reflects off of a water drop or snow or ice, or a tree! It sends back that signal to the computer, the computer then displays where that reflection is coming from.
Water or ice crystals send back different reflectivity values because they have different densities. This is how the radar can show where the area of precipitation is rain or snow. However, some of those densities are close together, so occasionally, the radar can confuse areas of light drizzle with light snow.
The radar composites are usually very accurate, especially during severe weather. Strong reflectivities show us where thunderstorms are and where there is hail.
How accurate is the radar on precipitation type? It's tough to say, from personal use of the radar, I'll have to say it's pretty accurate in most locales of the US. However, being in very mountainous terrain, the accuracy of the radar is sometimes compromised. The terrain of Utah does wreak havoc on our data, often you'll note it's snowing outside but the radar can't see it or doesn't plot it. The radar has limitations, if the beams' line of site is midlevel on a mountain and it's snowing at the base, it might not see it.
Hopefully this helps you out.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman
