Unusual Radar Loop

[E25280]

Speculation:  Altus is an air force base.  The image is directly on the other side of that base from the weather radar station and approximately the same distance radar - Altus and Altus - image.  There could be some interference from a radar station at the base itself which is registering as an echo.

Second speculation:  I tried to take a quick look on Google Earth to see if there was a hill or ridge that could cause a ground clutter type echo.  The terrain in that area changes from farm fields (presumably flat) to what looks to me to be a hill or ridge of some kind.  This could cause a ground clutter echo that is not being adequately corrected for.




Or it could be an alien landing site.  That would at least be more interesting.

[Tupac]

Or it could be an alien landing site.  That would at least be more interesting.

 

[Killer91]

Speculation:  Altus is an air force base.  The image is directly on the other side of that base from the weather radar station and approximately the same distance radar - Altus and Altus - image.  There could be some interference from a radar station at the base itself which is registering as an echo.

Second speculation:  I tried to take a quick look on Google Earth to see if there was a hill or ridge that could cause a ground clutter type echo.  The terrain in that area changes from farm fields (presumably flat) to what looks to me to be a hill or ridge of some kind.  This could cause a ground clutter echo that is not being adequately corrected for.




Or it could be an alien landing site.  That would at least be more interesting.

Both are good points. I hadn't thought about the Air Force base there in Altus.
Also I had checked out google earth to and I noticed that hill to. But I wasn't sure if it could create the effect that was showing up on radar.

And really alien landing sight? I was thinking more along the lines of an uber n00k 

[Stalwart]

That's actually not to far from Stephenville... and we all know what happens in the sky around there.
 

[jay]

the chaff grenades from metal gear solid?? 

[BowHTR]

i have that same radar

[Dragon]

My first though was a hill or other terrain anomaly.






Wunderground is the bestest, btw.

[Shuffler]

In that loop the air is obviously unstable. North of the echo is a fairly strong buildup.

I was thinking that if the ground is fairly flat the winds are more or less moving unimpeded. If those winds meet a large hill or mountain they tend to create an updraft. If that updraft is carrying enough moisture then it'll cool as it rises forming a cloud bank and causing the echo.

[bravoa8]

They're probably bats.

[EskimoJoe]

You could always call your news channel's weather team and ask? 

[dedalos]

Are they above 65 feet?  Because you know you historically cant see anything on radar that low.  I also didn't realise how much metal was in a bat.

 


wrongway

Sad

[cpxxx]

What Shuffler said. It's a build up on one side of a hill. We have a similar phenomenon in this country. One side of a range of hills always has worse weather than the other. A fact that has claimed a couple of unwary pilots over the years. Looking at the radar you can see another similar but smaller u-shaped build up by Childress aligned like the big one. Presumably there is some high ground south east of Childress?

[bozon]

Vapor forming around a hill/mountain top would have been my first guess. If there is a big factory or farm that release a lot of gases that is another option. Any big chimneys visible in google in this area?

[pwnorris]

I've noticed this on my local Radar twice within a few weeks. If you look NW of Altus you'll notice a U shaped echo that expands outward fairly rapidly.
I'm at a total loss as to what it could be. Me being the weather geek I am can't stand not knowing what it is. Anyone on here got any idea whats causing these?

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

I'm doing some research on radar for another group.  My guess is that we have the weather at work here.  It could be that there part of the signal is being masked by the weather, giving the return a cresent shape.  

Weather radar will choose a frequency that will reflect off of weather.  It also tends to reflect off of other stuff in the air.  Maybe some atmospheric anomoly caused the signal to bend, but it doesn't make sense with the storm in one period and not in the other.

[AWwrgwy]

Sometimes they get up there, and i also didnt know there was metal in thnderstorms

Yes, everyone knows radar needs to reflect off metal in order to generate a return....

 

Strip

Sad

Using my interpolating skills, I deduced that the Mosquito, the plane not the bug, was invisible to radar as it was made of wood.  What does wood do?  It floats.  What also floats?


 


wrongway