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Capital Weather Gang

Weather Service tells Congress radar gaps don’t hurt warning accuracy, but outside scientists disagree

Meteorologists criticize the delayed report as missing important details, discounting potentially damaging weather

By
November 21, 2020 at 11:26 a.m. EST
A rotating supercell thunderstorm takes on a “mothership” appearance as it moves south of Lakin, Kan. on Sept. 9. (Matthew Cappucci/The Washington Post)

Weather forecasters around the country strive to warn communities in advance of every tornado that touches down, each flash flood that is about to occur and each winter weather event.

One of the most reliable and costly tools at a meteorologist’s disposal for issuing watches and warnings is a network of 159 Doppler radars across the country that provide detailed views inside storms. Radar helps meteorologists determine precipitation type and intensity, how much rain or snow has fallen, as well as the wind direction and speed at which precipitation is moving within a storm.