How "Timely" Is TWC's Radar?

[Dan Nichols]

Are the Weather Channel's radar images out of step with the actual storm cells themselves? There has been more than one instance where I had thought I had plenty of time to go the 10 or 20 miles it took to get to my chosen spot just ahead of the storm, but the storm either beat me to it or was lots closer than I thought.

Last February, the TWC radar spotted a t-storm cell whose center was well west of the Connecticut River: a very early-season storm for here! Since I live about 8 or 10 miles east of the river, I was fully confident I had plenty of time to get located to where the storm was projected to arrive. After driving 2 or 3 miles, lightning was already flashing making it evident that the storm seemed much closer, and it soon overtook me while nearing my destination, after some 4-5 miles more. And all the while, the "red"core (as on my cell phone) was still to my west. That could make a lag as much as 10 minutes!

Have any of you had similar problems with TWC's radar? Or from any of your local TV radars? To have that much discrepancy is like you're rushing to get to a show or a concert, only to discover your watch is 7 to 10 minutes slow!

BTW, I'm contemplating getting a more modern cell phone: an i-Phone perhaps, before the season really cranks up here. Bigger screen also means clearer, more decipherable radar images -- surely better detail . . . . . . My carrier is Verizon. Any advice?. . . . . . .

Dan Nichols

 

[Lanny Dean]

..Have any of you had similar problems with TWC's radar? Or from any of your local TV radars?...

I cannot speak for everyone but I would suspect that the majority do not use TWC as a main source for radar or good information period.

Any advice?. . . . . . .

Yes....spend the money on a radar program such as GR3 or StormLab or even RadarScope if/when you get your iphone. Learn much more about storm movement, radar in general including tilts, sweeps, scans.

Understanding that depending on mesocale and microscale enviornments, storm structure, speed and direction can change rapidly. This of course can change your interception tactics and possible location (s)

Don't rely on ANY radar program when all you have to do is look out your window, providing you understand structure.

 

[Rob H]

There's always the potential for several minutes of lag, since radar is updated at discrete intervals. A level 3 sweep is roughly 5-6 minutes, so the position of a storm could potentially be 6 minutes old even if the system you're using spits out images as soon as possible and there are no network issues. You need to look at when the radar scan was from, look at storm motion and speeds, and then mentally calculate where the storm will be. GR3 and StormLab both have SCIT, or storm tracking information, so you can see the projected course of the storm over the next hour.

Lanny's right though, once you're on the storm, you shouldn't really need radar if you're positioned correctly - your eyes will be much more reliable and accurate once you know what to look for.

If you're looking for free radar, and a whole lot more, the SPC Mesoanalysis page is great: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/mesoanalysis/new/viewsector.php?sector=16

 

[Warren Faidley]

Timely radar is critical. Radar is important for a number of simple reasons, including initiation, storm movement, detecting outflow boundaries, storm intensity, structure, behavior (meso, TVS), etc. What I have found radar to be most important for is avoiding storms at night when the visual data is limited. I might suggest looking into Weather Tap (about $7.00 per month), or for phones, Radar Scope with Allison House data, which is also quite inexpensive.

W.

 

[Stephen Levine]

I use the Garmin Marine unit with XM weather and Weatherworks data. It appears that the data is 5 or more minutes behind real time. However, I have found the radar data excellent for positioning into the vicinity of the storm. It's helpful to animate the radar so that you can see the general direction that the cells are moving and anticipate your intercept in that manner.
I like the XM weather because it is independent of cell phone signal and also gives me lightning strike data as well as surface winds. There is a price.. $55 per month. To me it's worth the insurance of going out any month of the year to chase.

 

[kmreid]

I am very new to all of this but I definitely agree that there are far better options available than TWC. I can't say that it would be a source I would depend on.

 

[John Olexa]

While I enjoy watching TWC. When theres storms in my area, I don't rely on TWC

 

[Andrew Burnett]

by my experience in SE KS.. TWC is about 5-10 mins old. Our Towns storm sirens are about 30mins late.

 

[Jason Foster]

Of course you do have to factor the forward speed of the storms. Screamers are certainly going to seem more displaced than others...which is the case for any radar.

I'm OK with 7 to 10 minutes slow...not like GR is gonna be a ton faster (limits of WSR-88 sweeps, software, internet connection, etc.). But TWC is for an at home look at boring stuff. If I want the most up-to-date radar...I'm on GR w/ AH. As everyone has mentioned...not to be relied upon, paid services cost money for a reason!

 

[Bob Hartig]

I'll second and third the advice to get your own radar software. GR3 is tops for field work! Then learn to project the storm position based on its speed and direction, because by the time that nice, bright L3 image appears on your screen it's at least 4 1/2 minutes old. In that time, an early-season storm ripping along at 60 mph will have traveled nearly 5 miles downstream from what the radar shows--and that's provided you get a timely download. Also, the storm will have morphed--maybe strengthened, maybe weakened; maybe put down a tornado, maybe occluded one. Radar is a powerful tool as long as you combine it with a knowledge of storm behavior and situational awareness.