Schneider Electric redistributes Doppler radar imagery from the National Weather Service (NWS). This data comes from the NWS radar sites, also known as NEXRAD sites or the WSR-88D radar. Base reflectivity products are updated every five, six, or ten minutes depending on the mode of operation of the individual radars.
This product displays the amount of the radar energy reflected back to the radar from precipitation or density discontinuities in the atmosphere. In the case of precipitation, this product can be used to estimate the rate and intensity of rain or snow, and, in the case of thunderstorms, hail size. The measurement units are displayed in dBZ. The radar data is produced in two modes: clear air and precipitation. Lighter liquid precipitation and snow are observed in clear air, where the radar scale is adjusted to pick up very light returns. Precipitation mode is used when the rainfall reaches more significant levels. The radar mode is determined either by the radar operator or the radar itself.