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Record Heat for the Intermountain West and Northern Plains; Heavy Rainfall and Severe Weather Threats

Record setting heat is expected over the next several days from the Intermountain West through the northern Plains. Furthermore, fire weather concerns increase with dry and breezy conditions. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorm threats for the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys, central Appalachians and Southeast today. The threat shifts to central Gulf Coast and across central Texas this week. Read More >

Huntsville, AL

Weather Forecast Office

Dual Pol Radar Information

Weather.gov > Huntsville, AL > Dual Pol Radar Information

Picture of WSR-88D Radome

Dual Polarization (or "dual-pol") technology adds an additional 14 products to the suite of data already available to NWS forecasters. These tools will assist forecasters in the warning and forecast process.

 

Why upgrade to Dual Polarization Radar?

By comparing the power and timing of energy returned to the radar from both horizontal and vertical pulses, we can glean information such as the size, shape, and composition of precipitation particles.

 

What are the Potential Benefits of Dual-Pol?
 
  • Better estimation of total precipitation
  • Better estimation of the size distribution of hydrometeors (precipitation particles)
  • Improved ability to identify areas of heavy rainfall (flash flooding potential)
  • Improved detection and mitigation of non-weather echoes
  • Easier identification of the melting layer (helpful for identifying snow levels in higher terrain)
  • Ability to classify precipitation type
  • New severe thunderstorm signatures

What is polarization?

A radio wave is a set of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, oriented 90 degrees to each other. Polarization of the wave is the direction, or orientation, of the electric field.

Horizontal Polarization

The electric field is oriented horizontally, along the x-axis.

 

Vertical Polarization

The electric field is oriented vertically, along the y-axis.

 

 

 

"Old" NWS Doppler Radar (horizontally-polarized only) versus "Dual Polarized" Radar

The old Doppler radar capability transmits and receives only horizontally polarized radio wave pulses. Therefore, they measure only the horizontal dimension of cloud and precipitation particles. New dual-pol capability will allow the transmit and receipt of both horizontally and vertically polarized radio wave pulses. Therefore, they measure both the horizontal and vertical dimension of cloud and precipitation particles.

 

 

More Information

 
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