Live US weather radar

Reading this radar

This is composite reflectivity from NOAA's Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system, which merges the national network of weather radars into one mosaic. Composite means each point shows the strongest return anywhere in the column above it, so it can show precipitation aloft that never reaches the ground.

What the colors mean

Reflectivity is measured in dBZ. Returns under 5 dBZ are not drawn. Greens, around 20 dBZ, are light rain; yellow is about 35 dBZ; orange about 45; red about 55 marks a heavy core; purple at the top of the scale, 70 dBZ, is the range associated with hail.

How fresh it is

A new frame arrives about every 2 minutes, and the loop keeps up to 2 hours of history. The badge on the map shows the age of the newest frame and warns when it is more than 10 minutes old, so old data is never shown as current.

What radar cannot show

Radar sees precipitation, not cloud. It does not show ceilings, visibility, icing or turbulence, and a clear radar picture can still hide low IFR conditions. Coverage is the contiguous United States. For the observed conditions at a field, open its airport page for the live decoded METAR and TAF, or check pilot reports and advisories.