Report to Congress: Gaps in NEXRAD Radar Coverage

The study examined the impact of radar coverage on warnings for tornadoes and flash floods, although it should be noted that radar also provides necessary observations to support other weather warnings (e.g., hail/severe thunderstorms, winter weather, hurricanes, etc.,) that are not addressed by the study and this report. Tornadoes and flash floods are rare events in general, and only a small fraction of those events cause fatalities. For instance, tornadoes causing deaths comprise only about two percent of all tornadoes. To warn the Nation of these rare events, trained forecasters use a variety of tools and datasets. Data that come from the NEXRAD network are critical for tornado and flash flood warnings, and forecasters also use information from satellites, surface observations, storm-spotters, and high resolution forecast models (among other sources) to aid in the forecast and warning process. 2020 NWS (National Weather Service) Weather Act (Weather Research & Forecasting Innovation Act) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/kmy7-7q82 Public Domain 1931