One glance at this radar image would have meteorologists sending urgent and dire warning messages to people in the path of danger -- but would you know what to look for?
This radar snapshot shows an extremely dangerous weather phenomenon underway -- but if people at home don't know what to look for, it's easy to miss it.Dual-polarization radar is at the forefront of weather technology. Learn what a debris ball is and how weather forecasters use it to confirm a damaging tornado has touched down.
The use of radar has expanded in recent years well beyond the circles of the meteorological community with the rise of smartphone apps, websites and computer programs. These allow virtually anyone to be able to look at the weather and track radar-confirmed tornadoes from almost anywhere. 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.As a tornado touches down and strengthens, it lifts objects and debris off the ground and lofts them up into the atmosphere. With extremely strong twisters, some objects can be tens of thousands of feet above the ground.
A low CC value shows that there is a great variety in the size and shapes of objects, while a high value shows greater consistency in size and shape. Meteorologists look for low CC values within a tornado's debris ball surrounded by higher values. This often appears as a small blue circle within a larger red area.More than just a debris ball needs to appear on radar for a tornado to be radar confirmed. Another crucial piece of information is how close it appears to the rotation of the storm.
If the radar shows a strong area of rotation and a debris ball in the same area, it is a strong signature that there is a tornado occurring. It can also be used to help detect where large hail is falling in a severe thunderstorm, the dividing line between rain, sleet and snow during a winter storm and even to detect animals.
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