WAAY 31's Carson Meredith explains Dual Polarization Radar

To washington.

The waay 31 storm tracker early warning radar network features some of the most advanced technology in the country, today - waay 31 meteorologist carson meredith explains how "dual polarization" keeps our weather team informed during a severe weather situation.

The advancement of radar technology has been invaluable in improving meteorologists' ability to deliver accurate forecasts and tracking storms in real time.

One of the most significant radar advancements in recent memory was the development of dual polarization radar.

The waay 31 storm tracker early warning radar network features dual polarity.

Before dual polarization, weather radars only transmitted one pulse of energy to detect targets.

This pulse is oriented horizontally and only provides details about the size of a target.

With the addition of dual polarization, a second pulse is oriented vertically and is transmitted in addition to the original horizontal pulse.

The graphics below show how a typical radar with a horizontal pulse works, while the dual pol radar transmits and receives horizontally and vertically this now provides meteorologists details on the shape of things it detects in addition to size.

This additional information gives meteorologists more insight into what is occurring during active weather.