Patent ID: 7656343

Claim:
An airborne weather radar system for an aircraft, comprising: a transmitter/receiver configured for transmitting radar signals at various tilt angles and further configured for receiving radar returns responsive to the signals; a memory configured for being communicatively coupled with the transmitter/receiver and further configured for storing position information for the aircraft, storing the received radar returns, and storing ground clutter suppression algorithms; a processor configured for being communicatively coupled with the memory, the processor further configured for accessing and utilizing the aircraft position information, the received radar returns, and the ground clutter suppression algorithms for providing a weather image, wherein the processor is further configured for removing ground returns from the received radar returns and for providing the weather image based on remaining returns of the received radar returns; and a display configured for being communicatively coupled with the processor, the display being further configured for displaying the weather image, the weather image being output to the display by the processor, wherein the weather image includes an alert icon and an alert message when a hazard is present within a pre-determined area proximal to the aircraft and when the hazard is at least one of at a pre-determined severity level threshold and above a pre-determined severity level threshold, the alert icon and the alert message collectively configured for indicating a type of hazard, a severity level of the hazard and a location of the hazard in azimuth relative to a heading of the aircraft, the system being configured for displaying the alert icon and the alert message via the weather radar display when the hazard is located beyond a selected range of the weather radar system, but is also located at least one of at a maximum detection range of the weather radar system and within the maximum detection range of the weather radar system, the selected range being less than the maximum detection range of the weather radar system.