Some Local Doppler Radars are Slower Than Others
With all the rain we've had over the last few days, no doubt many of you have been keeping an eye on radar offered on dozens of Web sites and smartphone apps. But, have you ever looked at the time stamp on those radar images? You should, because not all radars are equal.
Even Brick Tamland thinks one of these radars is way too slow.
In looking through the radar of all the local television stations, the Houston Chronicle, the National Weather Service, Weather.com (probably the most popular) and Weather Underground, I found that many of them showed images that were well behind current time. In the event of a dangerous thunderstorm, this kind of lag is downright worrisome.
Here they are with screen capture images from best to worst.
Note: Actual time was taken from a computer clock synced with an online server and should be considered highly accurate, though I wouldn't consider this test exactly scientific either.
Chron.com
Actual Time: 3:49 p.m.
Date Stamp: 3:49 p.m.
Variance: 0 minutes
Chron.com ranks tops on our list with literally no difference between our time and the time date stamped on the radar.
Weather Underground
Actual Time: 3:51 p.m.
Date Stamp: 3:48 p.m.
Variance: - 3 minutes
Ever reliable Weather Underground was next with a moderate three-minute lag time.
KPRC
Actual Time: 3:46 p.m.
Date Stamp: 3:42 p.m.
Variance: - 4 minutes
Channel 2 was up next with a four-minute delay. Still not bad.
KRIV
Actual Time: 3:48 p.m.
Date Stamp: 3:42 p.m.
Variance: - 6 minutes
National Weather Service
Actual Time: 3:49 p.m.
Date Stamp: 3:43 p.m.
Variance: - 6 minutes
Both Fox 26 and, surprisingly, the National Weather Service clocked in six minutes slow, which, in a severe thunderstorm, is starting to get pretty dicey.
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