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What causes these types of patterns on the weather radar? 👀

45,697 views • 5 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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It is getting cold, blustery and wet out there! 📡🥶 If you were watching the National Weather Service (NWS) radar data out of NWS Tampa Bay this afternoon, you would have noticed what appeared to be a sharp increase in the coverage of showers from one frame to the next over the Tampa Bay region. 📡 ☔️ In reality, the precipitation was not increasing. The trained NWS meteorologist and radar operator shifted the radar scanning strategy to better detect lighter, lower-level precipitation. Notice the change at the top of this radar animation with the “VCP”, or volume coverage pattern. Watch it change from VCP 215 to VCP 34. What does this mean? 🤔 The National Weather Service Doppler radar volume coverage pattern (VCP) modes determine how radar beams are emitted and the angle at which they scan the atmosphere. VCP Mode 215: This mode provides higher vertical resolution due to more elevation angles being processed. It typically includes more volume scans, focusing on detecting severe weather phenomena such as thunderstorms and tornadoes effectively. VCP Mode 34: This mode offers lower vertical resolution with fewer elevation angles. It is designed for less demanding weather situations, providing broader coverage and is often used during more stable weather conditions. As these sprinkles and light showers continue to develop and move ashore from the Gulf within a blustery northwest wind, much colder (and drier) air will overspread the area through tonight into Sunday morning when the potential exists for isolated flurries or frozen rain drops (i.e., sleet or ice pellets). VCP 34 typically features more lower elevation scanning angles compared to VCP 215. 📡Things to remember📡: Lower radar elevation angles sampled by VCP 34 are designed to scan the atmosphere closer to the ground. This design is beneficial for detecting broader weather patterns and identifying precipitation types that occur near the surface. Stay warm! #FLwx #Gasparilla City of Tampa Hillsborough County

Brian LaMarre

12,222 views • 5 months ago