Snow flakes have lower moisture and higher air content than other types of precipitation. This quality is physically apparent in the holes found in a snowflake's structure. Extremely light snow can sometimes go undetected on radar. However, the newest generation of Doppler radar is significantly more sensitive than previous generations of radar, and even capable of picking up virga, a situation in which snow is falling from clouds but evaporating before reaching the ground. Forecasters must be careful to combine both surface observations and information from Doppler radar to determine where and at what rate snow is falling.
Sleet shows up very well on all radar.
Because it is a solid ball of ice, it possesses a high reflectivity level, which sometimes on radar can be mistaken for heavy snow. Forecasters must use both surface observations and radar to make accurate forecasts. Shopping Send us your feedback about this page. Bookmark this page.