Radar Display, "Expert" Mode

Some of you may have apps to display radar information. A number of them have a regular and expert mode. In spring, summer, and autumn, I keep mine set to regular because I don't care about seeing very weak echoes that, in those, seasons, are not connected to precipitation.

In winter, it is different because snow and snow grains often produce only very light echoes. This morning in southern Kansas provides an excellent example.

Regular Mode
Snow is falling across much of the region with accumulating snow in the green patches. However, it is also lightly snowing in the "no echo" black patches.



Expert Mode
It is much easier to see the snow in its entirety.

So, I recommend expert mode in the winter and regular the rest of the year.

Note: See how the echo mass is more or less circular (especially the southern part)? That is because snow echoes are relatively shallow. The radar beam is relatively straight but the clouds follow the curvature of the earth so the radar beam overshoots them. When you see a circular edge to an echo mass, there is likely more precipitation beyond the end of where the echoes are displayed.


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