Weather Underground enables Internet users to better predict the path of severe weather storms with Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) from the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) at http://www.wunderground.com/radar/
SAN FRANCISCO, December 16, 2008 . Weather Underground, the nation’s first online weather service, today announced the availability of free high definition radar maps on its flagship web site wunderground.com.
The data originates from Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) systems that the FAA has in place for 45 airports across the US to enable air traffic control to help airplanes come and go safely. This high-resolution data has generally not been available to the public until now. Thanks to a collaboration between the National Weather Service (NWS) and the FAA, the data for all 45 TDWRs will be made available in real time over the next few months via a free satellite broadcast (NOAAPORT). Six radar sites are already available (Detroit MI, Cleveland OH, Fort Lauderdale FL, Miami FL, West Palm Beach FL and Newark NJ), and the remaining radars will be added by June 2009.
For an in-depth analysis of the benefits of TDWR radar, please visit the widely read blog of Weather Underground’s Director of Meteorology, Dr. Jeff Masters at:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1168
About TDWR
The Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) is an advanced technology weather radar deployed near 45 of the larger airports in the U.S. The radars were developed and deployed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) beginning in 1994, as a response to several disastrous jetliner crashes in the 1970s and 1980s caused by strong thunderstorm winds. The crashes occurred because of wind shear–a sudden change in wind speed and direction. Wind shear is common in thunderstorms, due to a downward rush of air called a microburst or downburst. The TDWRs can detect such dangerous wind shear conditions, and have been instrumental in enhancing aviation safety in the U.S. over the past 15 years. The TDWRs also measure the same quantities as our familiar network of 148 NEXRAD WSR-88D Doppler radars–precipitation intensity, winds, rainfall rate, echo tops, etc. However, the newer Terminal Doppler Weather Radars are higher resolution, and can "see" details in much finer detail close to the radar.
About Weather Underground
The nation’s first online weather service, Weather Underground is committed to delivering the most comprehensive, reliable weather information possible. The company’s state-of-the-art technology monitors conditions and forecasts for locations across the world. With thousands of international users contributing local observations from personal weather stations, Weather Underground is able to provide up-to-the-minute weather conditions for the most finely targeted areas. In addition to serving free online weather information to millions of Web users at www.wunderground.com, Weather Underground delivers custom-designed weather page solutions to an array of businesses and media clients — both online and in print.