KWTV News9 *NEW* Dual Pol Radar

[Brett]

I was wondering what others on the forum think about News9's new dual pol radar?

Is it just me or does it look like the new radar produces more clutter that completely envelopes the metro area?

[rezman]

I just thought that it was ironic that they've been heavily touting that this new system will keep you safer, and then the first day we get a little freezing mist, 3 people died on roads around the Okc.

[SoonerDave]

I just thought that it was ironic that they've been heavily touting that this new system will keep you safer, and then the first day we get a little freezing mist, 3 people died on roads around the Okc.

EVen with the "dual pol supery dupery 1.21 GW radar," winter precip remains one of the most difficult things to pick up on radar...because it's so danged small. Even a supery dupery 1.21 GW flux capacitor radar has a tough time seeing it.

That cold air mass + precip band that rolled through OKC Thurs was just one of those things that would have been virtually impossible to predict under the best of circumstances. Weather forecasting is still models and instinct as much as science. You can't see everything.

[bucktalk]

Totally agree. I find it silly when meteorologist report, "radar shows rain but it's not hitting the ground as it evaporates before it hits the ground". I'd much prefer only showing/telling me when it's actually raining. All the other radar clutter isn't worth reporting on. Nope.

I was wondering what others on the forum think about News9's new dual pol radar?

Is it just me or does it look like the new radar produces more clutter that completely envelopes the metro area?

[OKCisOK4me]

Don't get me wrong, I think it's totally cool that i shows blips of airplanes and what not but I will be interested more when severe weather season rolls around. Nine times out of ten, right now, I'll just use my RadarScope Pro.

[kevinpate]

No radar on earth will ever make all folks understand that roadways with air underneath become dangerous faster than roadways with solid ground underneath.

[gman11695]

I honestly think it's a little ridiculous. Most viewers at home have no idea what dual-pol radar is, and unless you've gone through training, most meteorologists don't even know how to correctly interpret it. On top of that David Payne isn't even a degrees meteorologist.. Not to mention those radars cost the news stations millions of dollars. Money that could be used elsewhere.

All the local news stations have their own radar right now, which for viewers at home is enough. When TV stations want dual-pol right now, they have to use NWS radars which is updated every 5 minutes, so it is pretty neat to have nearly realtime dual-pol capabilities, but once again, nobody at home is really going to appreciate it. News9 did this just to sound better than all the other TV stations in OKC. My biggest pet-peave is how much they are pushing it. OKC is pretty unique though when it comes to weather markets. TV stations from across the US look at us when it comes to severe weather coverage to see how we are doing it.

[rezman]

I'm not questioning the ability to predict, or "see" what's coming. Most of what the tv stations do is marketing hype anyway. Who's got the biggest and the best. I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, and like most folks, I know the difference in the 4 seasons and what comes along with them here. Other than the getting the basics from local media weather outlets, I can pretty much figure the rest out
on my own.

Whatever high zoot radar equipment a tv station happens to have at the time has nothing to do with a motorists driving skills. I just saw irony in it. It wasn't what I would call bad weather.

The real test for News 9's new radar, like any other tv weather cast will come next spring.

[Of Sound Mind]

I just thought that it was ironic that they've been heavily touting that this new system will keep you safer, and then the first day we get a little freezing mist, 3 people died on roads around the Okc.

No radar fixes stupid.

[zachj7]

I have a hard time believing that David Payne is not a degreed meteorologist. I believe he went to OU. Dual Pol products have been installed on the NEXRAD network and I doubt that NEWS9 actually owns the radar unit, they use NWS's NEXRAD which has dual pol capabilities. Dual Pol has helped quite a bit in server weather and winter weather. It is a good investment...

[John1744]

I was always under the impression Mike Morgan was the local met without a degree. He basically just started as an intern didn't he?

Also KWTV surely owns the radar that was the biggest point they made is how much they invested and they showed the dome being constructed. They wanted to get away from the NWS info delay they are currently stuck with.

[MadMonk]

No radar fixes stupid.

I was going to post the same thing. If you need a TV weatherman to tell you that fog is made of water, water freezes at or around 32 degrees or less, and that freezing water reduces traction, you shouldn't be driving.