MetEd

Meteorological/Atmospheric Science Eduation for the masses! Degreed Meteorologist

[MetEd @MetEduc]

✈️💨☁️
Do contrails modify the weather?

YES.

...but before you jump to conclusions about "secret programs modifying the weather with precision," let's take a look at what the latest science actually says.

A🧵👇

[MetEd @MetEduc]

- Microwave Sickness claim: Symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, anxiety, and sleep disturbances have been reported in some occupational studies involving high RF exposures at close range. However, these symptoms are nonspecific and establishing RF exposure as the cause has proven difficult. NEXRAD antennas are elevated 33-115ft AGL, with the main beam angled upward at ~0.2-0.5 degrees. This keeps the beam well above most residential areas near the tower, and the general public is not exposed to the amount of RF radiation as occupational workers like technicians.
https://t.co/x7IChSaZ2i

- Occupational Insomnia claim: The studies involve radar workers/techs exposed to 14–18 GHz pulsed RF. NEXRAD operates at approximately 2.7–3.0 GHz. 14-18 GHz is a different frequency range with different propagation and absorption characteristics, but more importantly the workers in those studies experienced substantially greater and more prolonged exposures than members of the general public. NEXRAD technicians also follow strict procedures that require turning the radar off during maintenance near the unit. Extrapolating occupational findings to the general public is not scientifically justified.
https://t.co/EulP9UfrLq (see 17-B-1)

- EEG and Sleep Architecture claim: Some lab studies have reported subtle EEG changes following RF exposure, but reviews of the literature consistently note that findings are mixed and often contradictory, with some studies showing increases, decreases, or no changes at all. Observed EEG changes do not automatically imply poorer sleep quality, insomnia, or adverse health effects, and these studies generally involve controlled exposures that cannot be directly extrapolated to NEXRAD weather radar exposure.
https://t.co/gOtpnOl6Bg
https://t.co/C7qRLjF5VW

- Distance and Exposure claim: While power density decreases with distance per the inverse square law, the stated numbers are highly misleading and do not reflect real world exposure. Using a simple power density calculator with 750kW peak power, 45.5dB gain, and 3,800ft distance yields ~158mW/cm^2. However, this represents peak, on axis, continuous wave power density directly in the center of the main beam (essentially it assumes the beam is locked directly on you at full power). In reality, the beam points overhead and scans past any fixed ground location. NEXRAD is a pulsed radar with a very low duty cycle (max ~0.2%). Its average transmitted power is on the order of 1kW (roughly several hundred to ~1,500W depending on operating mode). Applying this average power to the same calculator gives ~0.32mW/cm^2, already far lower - and this still ignores beam rotation, elevation scanning, and off axis positioning. Actual ground level exposure is substantially lower (~0.1mW/cm^2 or less) than the peak power calculation because of the low duty cycle, antenna rotation, beam elevation, and off axis positioning.
https://t.co/HHG80pdxgb
https://t.co/x7IChSaZ2i
https://t.co/k3FXpcvrMS
https://t.co/EulP9UfrLq (17-B-1)

Concerns about RF are valid, as RF can have biological effects at high levels, but this post conflates occupational exposures, different radar systems, different frequencies, and laboratory studies with the much lower exposures experienced by the public near NEXRAD installations. It also relies on peak power calculations that do not represent real world exposure from a rotating, pulsed weather radar. After more than three decades of nationwide NEXRAD operation, there is no credible evidence of widespread health effects among populations living near these radar installations.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@KellerWomack Yes they did - here's 23 years ago. Unfortuantely, you've got no interest in learning about meteorology or how the atmosphere works, which is a shame because it's pretty fascinating. Instead, it's much easier and less effort for you to push nonsense.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

He consistently ignores key aspects of meteorology, climatology atmospheric physics, radar wave propagation, and basic energy transfer limitations. Posting in an echo chamber, blocking dissent, and receiving uncritical praise from followers unfamiliar with the subject doesn’t make the claims true, it just shows how these ideas spread.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@KellerWomack I have enough education to recognize that @Undergotten claims don’t hold up. He avoids good faith debate, which is telling. Anyone truly confident in their position would engage and defend it with evidence instead of dodging challenges/instantly blocking.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@JeZzA_is You're conflating contrails and cloud seeding, which are two completely different things.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

✈️💨☁️
Do contrails modify the weather?

YES.

...but before you jump to conclusions about "secret programs modifying the weather with precision," let's take a look at what the latest science actually says.

A🧵👇

[MetEd @MetEduc]

If this "forrmer lawyer" took these radar loops to court as proof, she'd get laughed right out the court room and she knows it - it's embarrassing. There is ZERO plausible mechanism for weather control via NEXRAD. Her evidence is just "look at these radar loops I don't understand".

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@BuckM98647 @BGatesIsaPyscho https://t.co/erxr5FwVIk

[MetEd @MetEduc]

Perfect example of bright banding from stratiform precipitation. As snowflakes fall into the melting layer, they partially melt into water-coated flakes, which makes them more reflective and boosts the radar return. This shows up as a band of enhanced reflectivity, which is most noticeable on higher elevation scans because of the geometry: the radar beam slices more directly through the melting layer at that angle, so the band looks brighter and more distinct. At lower tilts, the beam only grazes the layer and the signal can get smeared or washed out as it travels, making the bright band less pronounced. When those scans are combined by taking the maximum value at each point, you get the image on the right - called composite reflectivity.

For context, the Volume Coverage Pattern (VCP) the radar was in was 212, so it was scanning all the way up to 19.5 degrees, and the top of the melting layer was at about 14kft.

A video explaining this process as well:
https://t.co/OBKI70aTYj

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@BuckM98647 @BGatesIsaPyscho It's not. That's called a bright and signature. That's a composite reflectivity image which shows the maximum value of all scan angles. The brighter or stronger concentric circles you see are due to melting snowflakes in stratiform precipitation.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@MaryAmosKing1 @SuePearFL Von Karman Vortices

https://t.co/ItbgqbaChr

[MetEd @MetEduc]

Skepticism is healthy, Cara, but your eyes are only one piece of the puzzle. To move beyond that, it helps to dig into the actual science:

Is that radar feature truly unusual, or is it a well documented phenomenon tied to specific weather events?
How do radio waves propagate through the atmosphere?
Just how massive and powerful are thunderstorms?
What kind of energy would be required to meaningfully heat or alter the atmosphere on that scale?

When you can clearly describe a plausible physical mechanism by which an S-band weather radar could influence or engineer weather and backed by calculations and real world evidence strong enough to hold up technically, then the conversation gets interesting. Until then, dismissing the established meteorology is just willful ignorance.

I find it odd that the majority of the demographic that believes in this nexrad weather control nonsense is women 50+...

[MetEd @MetEduc]

.@Windycom doesn’t have direct access to the raw data feeds from every radar network, so in some cases they rely on publicly available static radar imagery instead. For Jamaica, they appear to use the free radar images published by the Meteorological Service of Jamaica: https://t.co/H6gkbpfAKJ

The numbers visible on those images match the reflectivity (dBZ) color scale. Windy essentially downloads the radar image, attempts to isolate only the radar echoes, and then converts that information into vector data for display on their website.

The challenge is that the images contain more than just radar returns - including color bars, labels, rang rings, etc. Removing those elements cleanly can be difficult without also accidentally removing or altering actual radar data. It also appears the color bar font may have recently changed to a bolder style, making it stand out more prominently and bypassing whatever method they are using to parse out the data compared to several month ago when this radar data was added: https://t.co/kFNtLQvBiG

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@LenDugganMH @MizdInformation @NeverTrumpNeve1 @nexrad101 You seem to be blind as well
https://t.co/mfFDTO2PLF

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@MizdInformation @LenDugganMH @NeverTrumpNeve1 @nexrad101 If he knew radar had more products than reflectivity he could use those tools to diagnose those are non meteorological echoes, then do a little digging to find it's picking up windmills.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

I'm not denying anything, you just can't even understand the basics of how radar works - and is shows, A LOT!

I, along with many other here have given you the answers, you have no rebuttal to them and continue to repost nonsense, and call people "plonkers", "clowns" and to "grow up". You just hate being proven wrong, but guess what? facts don't care about your feelings Len.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@MizdInformation @LenDugganMH @NeverTrumpNeve1 @nexrad101 This is hilarious.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@LenDugganMH @NeverTrumpNeve1 @nexrad101 @MizdInformation You do realize radar picks up way more than hydrometeors (rain, snow, hail, etc) right?

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@MizdInformation @LenDugganMH @NeverTrumpNeve1 @nexrad101 If he knew radar had more products than reflectivity he could use those tools to diagnose those are non meteorological echoes, then do a little digging to find it's picking up windmills.

[MetEd @MetEduc]

@LenDugganMH Len, I've worked with NEXRADs. It's only word salad to you because you don't have the slightest clue what you are taking about. You use AI as crutch to think for you. The questions I asked are critical to what you see on radar.