How to Read a Tornado RADAR

Tornadoes strike the country every year, killing hundreds of people and causing millions of dollars in property damage. Doppler RADAR can be used to help find out the location of tornadoes and the directions in which they are moving. Learning how to read tornadoes on the RADAR can help you find out where the tornado is heading and leave the area if necessary. Unfortunately, there is no way to accurately predict the formation and location of a tornado yet. Check your weather report sources regularly during a heavy storm to find out if tornadoes could form.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access
• Television with cable or satellite TV

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Instructions

• 1

  Understand what the colors on the map represent: dark red colors on the Doppler RADAR indicate a heavy storm while lighter colors indicate a moderate to light storm.

• 2

  Watch the RADAR for dark red colors during a storm on the Internet or a television. Be sure to keep watching the RADAR even if no heavy storm conditions are present at the time because they can occur at any moment.

• 3

  Pinpoint the location of the tornado by finding the area of counterclockwise spinning red areas.

• 4

  Watch the tornado as time passes on the RADAR. Note the direction of the tornado and trace its distance from your home town.

• 5

  Calculate the speed of the tornado by dividing the distance it travels across the map from one point to another by the time it takes for the tornado to move that distance.

• 6

  Monitor the RADAR for new tornadoes and calculate their direction and speed regularly and immediately find shelter if any of the tornadoes are in danger of coming in your direction.