Normally when you hear that there is a drought in Oklahoma, you think of a lack of water, and the vegetation turning brown as it swelters in triple-digit heat. However, there has been a tornado drought in 2018. For a state that averages 62 tornadoes per year, the official numbers through mid-August bring the count to only 23. Needless to say, it’s been a slow one for tornado chasers in Oklahoma this year.
When large hail develops in a thunderstorm, some of the radar beam’s energy observing the hailstone is reflected downward toward the ground, as well as back to the radar. This motion can create an echo known as a Three-Body Scatter Spike (TBSS) or a hail spike.
The release of RadarScope 3.8 has added features that can not only prepare you for the potential for severe weather but can provide more information about storms once they develop. Some of these features include the Day 1 Convective Outlooks and Local Storm Reports, which are available with a RadarScope Pro Tier 2 subscription. Both of these features can be accessed in the Settings menu under Layers.
Severe thunderstorms developed across portions of western Kansas and eastern Colorado on Friday, July 27, 2018. In the midst of these thunderstorms, a persistent line developed, extending from northeast of Stratton, Colorado to southeast of Goodland, Kansas.
A Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV) is similar to larger-scale areas of low pressure except for the size. Typically they have a diameter of 30-60 miles, depth of up to 3 miles, and develop in the mid-levels of the atmosphere. Squall lines, or Mesoscale Convective Systems, are often the cause of their development.
Radar can be an essential tool in identifying potential weather hazards. One particular danger that can pose risks to property, and especially aviation, is a microburst.
We released RadarScope 1.0 for Windows in April and have been extremely pleased with the response. We’ve been working on RadarScope for iOS for ten years, and on macOS and Android for seven years. Version 1.0 for Windows took about a year from conception to release, so we weren’t able to include every feature from the other platforms. We’re developing those features and look forward to reaching parity with the macOS app later this year. Here’s a brief update on our progress.
The RadarScope Users Group on Facebook is a forum for current and prospective customers to learn— from one another and us—about the app, how to use it, and how to better interpret radar and related weather information. At its best, it’s a friendly and welcoming community with a mix of beginners who want to learn, and more advanced users who want to help them. It’s not about education level or professional experience. Severe weather affects everyone. RadarScope was designed from day one to bridge the gap between the novice and expert user, making it easy to access the most commonly used features while progressively exposing new features as users grow to understand and rely on them.
Occasionally, long streaks can be observed on reflectivity images. These streaks are a type of interference known as bistatic coupling, or “running rabbits.”
The 5:00 a.m. wakeup call to go for a morning run sometimes leaves a runner looking for any excuse to go back to bed. One recent morning, the forecast had a chance of rain. The first thing I did that morning was to check my Radarscope app. Radarscope can be a handy tool for showing my position relative to the precipitation.
