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:
- NEXRAD images displayed to pilots are not real-time or single snapshots, but rather mosaics compiled from various radar stations with inherent time differences and initial processing to align data.
- Raw NEXRAD data is prone to significant false returns (e.g., ground clutter, reflections, birds), which are not actual precipitation.
- These images undergo a multi-stage clean-up process, including automated quality control and subsequent human review, to remove false returns before distribution, though this can sometimes result in the loss of genuine weather features like gust fronts.
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