GR3 Storm Tracks

[Dennis Sherrod]

I have a question that is more out of curiosity that anything else.
On GR3, the Storm Tracks at times will rarely show odd storm paths. Say for instance, the entire system is moving NE, 99% of the Storm Tracks show the movement as being NE. In the same cluster, there may be one individual storm that shows literally a 180 degree track, going SW. Slight variations in paths I understand with no problem, but the 180 degree variations are odd.
Obviously it is not moving this way, it only shows as such. Most times, it will correct within 1 -2 updates.
Is this possibly due to winds within the cell possibly rotating or is just some fluke that shows from time to time?
Thanks.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

If I'm not mistaken, the tracks shown in GR3 are straight from the NEXRAD Level III data stream. In other words, it's not necessarily "GR3 storm tracks showing..." but "NEXRAD L3 storm tracks showing...". Just a minor point of clarification, since the same tracks should show up in any other radar software that displays storm tracks. At any rate, I'm not sure how the tracks are determined, so I can't help much there. I assume it's through some sort of correlation analysis, or perhaps just the tracking of "cell IDs" (max in reflectivity through some layer) from one time to the next (which is probably a better bet than correlation analysis). I'll defer, though to, RDale, Greg, Jim, or anyone else who has more thorough knowledge of how the storm tracks are determined.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

Thanks Jeff. Thank you for clarifying my misquote. What I wrote did sound as if I meant it was a GR3 problem. I did not mean to imply that this was a GR3 fluke or problem as I realize this info is imported.
I have noticed several of these with the "pop-up" storms in Alabama yesterday and today.
Thanks again