Try R.A.P.

by Amber
(Huntsville, AL )

Radar Station

Radar Station

Pretty good little article, though it's probably important to point out that most radar returns especially from NOAA are only about 5 minutes behind the actual happening on the ground.


Also, nice to point out that these days radar returns can pick up much more than just rain and storms, they can also pick up debris fields when a tornado is on the ground...pretty cool, huh?

Here's a good one I've found that helps me a TON:
RAP is made by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It's operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. As a storm spotter, this site is very informative..even shows CAPE values for the nation.

Weather data is so important to our daily lives and helps seriously save lives in the midst of damaging storms. I think it's awesome that you put this out there for people who may not know much about it to check out, but I think it would be more interesting to people who weren't weather nerds like myself, if you added some "cool" information... (ex: debris fields)

Thanks for the article! Nice Job!

Barry's Response - Thank you Amber.

First of all, CAPE stands for convective-ly available potential energy. The energy used to fuel a mesoscale storm system (such as thunderstorms).

Debris fields are garbage and dust picked up and moved around by winds.

The NOAA RAP real time radar page is available by searching at https://www.google.com/search?q=weather+rap+ucar+edu+radar&rlz=1C1GGGE_enCA518CA518&oq=weather+rap+ucar+edu+radar+&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l2j5.12631j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 - with it and you Java Applet, you can quickly view up to the most recent 12 hours of radar images for any US radar. For the techies, there are tons of other options to play around with as well.

Have fun with this.



Search this site for more information now.

Greetings, weather enthusiast!


Thank you for the kind words! Yes, weather data is fascinating and essential for our daily lives. Knowing what Mother Nature's up to is like having a secret decoder!

Radar returns can pick up more than just rain and storms, and you're right! When a tornado is on the ground, the radar is like a superhero with X-ray vision. Isn't that cool? I feel like the radar is saying, "I've got your back!"

Guess what? We've got another weather superhero in town - RAP from the National Center for Atmospheric Research! It's like a weather wizard for storm spotters like you. The CAPE values for the whole country are like the weather's best friend.

Keep geeking out over weather data just for the fun of it, because it's not just for nerds like us; it's for everyone who wants to stay safe and prepared. Thanks for checking out what the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is up to! Chase those storms and be the weather hero we need!

Be weather-venturous! 🌩️🌪️☔

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by: Anonymous

Very interesting. I can not believe what radar does. The fact that it kind find debris after a tornado is amazing. I also like the face that it can see storms. Very cool.

From Barry - The radar works by sending out radio waves that bounce off objects and then return to the radar receiver. Radar can help us tell the size, shape, and location of an object with this information.

As a tornado approaches, radar can detect debris being carried by the wind and track it to see where it will land. We can then detect and track the storms propelling the debris.

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