Many pilots understand that the NEXRAD image they see on datalink weather doesn’t exactly show where the rain is falling at that moment because of the delay in broadcasting the information up to the satellites and down to the weather receiver.
Turning Raw NEXRAD into Mosaic
Many pilots understand that the NEXRAD image they see on datalink weather doesnt exactly show where the rain is falling at that moment because of the delay in broadcasting the information up to the satellites and down to the weather receiver.
Key Takeaways:
- Datalink NEXRAD images are not real-time; they have broadcast delays and are mosaics compiled from multiple radar stations, each with different scan times, requiring extrapolation and processing.
- Raw NEXRAD data contains significant false returns (e.g., ground clutter, birds, inversions) that necessitate extensive automated and human quality control before the images are distributed to pilots.
- While crucial for accuracy, this multi-stage processing can alter the original radar data and occasionally lead to the loss of genuine weather features, such as gust fronts.
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