Last July, the Next-Generation Weather Radar (or NEXRAD for short) in Pittsburgh was upgraded to a new form of Radar called "Dual-Polarization." It takes conventional Radar waves, which shoots horizontal waves into a storm, and adds a vertical wave into the scan giving a more detailed image for Meteorologists to study, forecast, and issue warnings with. These enchantments of the Radar in Pittsburgh are also coming soon to our immediate area starting mid February according to the NWS.
You may wonder, "Why might I need to know this?" Well, Radar is our main source of short term weather information. This will be a tough time to track shower activity in the area and may hurt forecasting for alot of sources. Thankfully, the surrounding NEXRAD and local airport "TDWR" stations will help during the repair time.
Currently the 3 local Radar stations that cover Maryland that are slated to be serviced are noted in this form below: "Radar Station | Location | Service Areas (Impact: Major/Minor) | Date To Be Serviced"
- KDOX | Dover AFB | UPGRADE COMPLETE
- KAQU | Norfolk, Va | UPGRADE COMPLETE
- KLWX | Sterling, Va | UPGRADE COMPLETE
Capitol Weather Gang .
Statement from NWS Mt Holly (PDF)
Find out more about Dual-Pol via the Radar Operations Center
Dual-Pol National Upgrade Status Report (PDF)
Radar Operations Center
What Dual Pol Looks Like:
 |
| Old Radar Wave Set up with only one Horizontal wave. (NWS) |
 |
| New "Dual-Pol" set up with one Horizontal Wave and an additional Vertical Wave for added detail. (NWS) |
These are screenshots of the iPhone app RadarScope, which has access to all,over 150 Radar stations in the US and beyond. It has the ability to look at what the Dual-Pol side of the Radar looks like. These are recent screenshot's from the Pittsburgh Radar station, updated in July 2011.
 |
| NEW DUAL-POL SCAN Much More Detail |
 |
| OLD SCAN Less Detail |
Heres a cheesy but fun and informational Video from the NWS on Dual Pol.
