Radar shows us if there is precipitation falling through the sky and helps you to answer the question, "Is it currently or about to rain or snow?".
The radar itself is a large instrument located at the top of a tower and covered with a protective dome.
The rotating machine sends out a pulse of energy in all directions. If any of that energy hits something in the sky, it bounces back toward the radar, and computers calculate where the "something" in the sky is located and if it's rain, snow, birds, or insects (yes, all of these can show up on radar).
The colors on a radar map represent the intensity of the precipitation, which is determined by how much energy bounces back to the radar.
Click the "Maps" tab and select the "Radar" or "Forecast Radar" overlay.
The color scale is presented in units of decibels (dBZ). Here's what you need to know...
Values of 20 dBZ (green) is typically the point at which light rain begins.
Values of 40 dBZ (orange) is typically the point at which lightning can occur and the rainfall rate is approaching 0.5 inches/hour.
Values of 60 dBZ (red) is about the level where 1-inch diameter hail can occur.
While every radar image that you will encounter may be different, the three colors listed above will provide a good scale to keep in mind when looking at the radar reflectivity and color scheme on OpenSummit.
Use our Radar map overlay to view precipitation detected over the past 2 hours.
Use our Forecast Radar map overlay to view forecasted precipitation for the next 2 days.
And here are two more tidbits...
First, radar has more difficulty detecting snow compared to rain. During winter, this means that intense snow might be falling even if the radar map shows low dBZ values (blue and green).
Second, big mountains block the radar beam from detecting precipitation close to the mountain tops. During the summer, this usually is a less important issue because thunderstorms rise far above the mountain tops and the radar can detect them. During the winter, radar might show little or no snow over the mountains even if a snowstorm is raging. This is a good time to look out the window or at a live webcam.
View all of our high-resolution map overlays on any device by upgrading to All-Access for $29.99/year (Single) or $39.99/year (Group). The subscription includes 5-day hourly forecasts, 10-day snow forecasts, estimated conditions, and much more.
Current & Forecast Radar → OpenSummit.com/map
Upgrade to All-Access and receive exclusive benefits.
- Hourly Forecasts for 5 days
- Weather for the past 24 hours
- Radar Map Layer
- Snow Depth Map Layer
- OpenSnow All-Access
See the whole picture for only $29.99/year and don't get zapped.
