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Canadian Live Weather Radar
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No single weather observer can afford to own and operate a live weather radar network, of course. However, that does not mean that you have to live without one!
Link to live weather radar data over Canada
(NOTE: clicking on the link will pop open a new window.
Make sure your browser accepts pop ups from this Web site).
How RADAR Works
The RADAR parabolic antenna emits high energy pulses, in the microwave part of the radio spectrum, as it rotates to cover all points of the horizon. Some of this outbound energy will bounce back toward the radar antenna, from clouds containing
- water droplets,
- ice crystals,
- snowflakes,
- ice pellets,
- or even hailstones,
- in suspension in clouds or precipitating.
The received energy - called the “echo” - is displayed live on weather radar screens that work just like a TV picture tube.
The bigger the droplets, or particles, in the clouds, the stronger the “echo”, and the denser the image painted on the screen. RADAR screens are calibrated to display “potential” precipitation in a range of colors, each representing a specific range of intensity.
How To Use The Live Weather Radar Map
The radar map user interface is fairly intuitive, and easy to use. It mimics a video player's controls. When you first see the radar map, it is still, and displays the latest data from weather radars across Canada.
You can trigger the animation feature by clicking on the “play” button. The map will then display the last seven or ten “radar snapshots”, hence giving you an indication of
- trajectory,
- intensity variation,
- echo area movement and changes.
Interpreting
The radars capture the significant weather, as it forms and subsides. The lower atmosphere is a dynamic environment, in which weather phenomena are born, grow, and die relatively quickly. The precipitation patterns, during the summer months, are especially short lived, compared to the winter months.
In the summer, convective type clouds such as thunderstorms, can mushroom in a few tens of minutes, whereas in the winter, precipitation patterns can take hours to form.
All told, the Canadian composite live weather radar map is an indispensable, and highly useful, observing tool for the serious Canadian weather watcher!
Stay tuned, and keep a sharp weather watch!
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