Mind The Gaps

NY NEXRAD. There is a large wind farm nearby with turbines oriented from due north through southeast of the radar. The turbines are close enough (within 18 km) to cause spurious multipath scattering that extends well beyond the wind farm and contaminates data at multiple scanning elevation angles."üOur modern Nexrad (Next-Generation Weather Radar) system is still based on radar

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Nexrad radar data is often significantly delayed (15-20 minutes), presenting a historical view rather than real-time weather conditions.
Both weather and ATC radar systems suffer from "gaps" in coverage, especially at lower altitudes (below 10,000 feet) and in mountainous terrain, due to distance, landforms, and the Earth's curvature.
These radar gaps can provide a misleadingly clear picture, causing pilots to unknowingly fly into hazardous weather that isn't displayed, making awareness of these "known unknowns" and local "tribal knowledge" crucial for safety.

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Most pilots have heard warnings about the timeliness (or lack thereof) of Nexrad radar. Better expressed as latency, the weather you see on your tablet, smartphone or multi-function display from providers like SXM or the FAA’s ADS-B could already be 15-20 minutes out of date. It can’t be said enough: What you see on your Nexrad display is better described as a historical record and has little to do with what’s happening right now.