How do weather radars work and what data do they provide?

Weather radar is a technology that allows meteorologists to track the movement of precipitation, and to predict future weather patterns. The radar sends out a pulse of electromagnetic energy that travels through the atmosphere, and when this pulse encounters a raindrop, snowflake, or hailstone, it bounces back to the radar dish. The radar dish then calculates the time it takes for the pulse to travel out to the precipitation and back, and from this information, it can determine the distance to the storm.

There are several different types of weather radars, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. One of the most common types of weather radar is the Doppler radar, which is named after the physicist Christian Doppler. Doppler radar is able to measure the velocity of precipitation, as well as its location and intensity. This allows meteorologists to track the speed and direction of storm cells, and to issue more accurate weather warnings.

The data provided by weather radar can include precipitation type (rain, snow, hail), precipitation rate (how much is falling per unit of time), and storm intensity (the amount of energy in the storm). This information is used to create radar images and animations, which can be used to track the movement of storms and to predict their future path and intensity.