Weather Radar Picks Up Car Doing 130 MPH

www.crh.noaa.gov...

Atmospheric conditions were right early Tuesday morning across north central Illinois for the NWS doppler radar in Romeoville to be able to pick up on traffic on Interstate 55 and 57. The doppler radar typically measures the motions of rain and water droplets toward and away from the radar, just like how a police officer's radar can pick up on a car's speed. But when a low level inversion (a layer of warmer air up above the surface) develops, it can cause the beam to be re-directed toward the ground and pick up on dense objects like buildings or traffic on highways. In this instance, the radar was able to pick up on traffic across Livingston County along I-55 as well as Iroquois County along I-57. The specs of higher returns are where the beam is being deflected back to the radar off of traffic. It may be hard to make out, but the green and blue specs along I-57 near Danforth show some in-bound velocities of 115 knots (~130mph)...hopefully this was just noise and not someone driving too fast!!!

All I can say is wow! Partially for the sensitivity of the Doppler Radar, but most of all for the person driving 130 mph on the interstate for enough distance that the Doppler can pick them up.

Wild.
DocMoreau

PS... I found the story via:jalopnik.com...

Wow. 400 views, and not a single reply, save this one.

How very strange. Maybe this is in the wrong section of the forum?
DocMoreau

[edit on 15/8/2008 by DocMoreau]

I leave in/around that area. That being said someone driving 130+ mph on i-55 is totally believable. People around here are jerks when it comes to the road. It seems as if everyone thinks the interstate/highway is there personal roadway and anyone that gets in there way is at fault. Its so bad that if it weren't for personal reasons/habits I would be become a "state pig" and earn some revune from these motorists.

Wow, thats an interesting article

Will have to keep an eye out at work to see if we can pick up cars speeding on the highways in the area

Flag for this

reply to post by OzWeatherman


You should! I don't know how far your radar reaches, but I imagine there are parts of Australia that people really try to max out their car's top speeds.

Maybe you could get higher readings than 130!

Thanks for responding to the thread, for a bit I thought I was on global ignore or something.

DocMoreau

Oh my god an ordinary car going at 130mph
I have seen only race cars doing that can an ordinary car accelerate that fast.

Originally posted by DocMoreau
reply to post by OzWeatherman

 

You should! I don't know how far your radar reaches, but I imagine there are parts of Australia that people really try to max out their car's top speeds.
DocMoreau

Yeah to tell the truth Im not sure what the range on our doppler is. Our normal weather watch radars (which show the presence of precipitation) reach 520km's. I believ the doppler reaches less than that. Cant wait til the wet season so I can check it out

reply to post by peacejet


Lol yes. My 8 year old F-150 will do about 125 mph after I bypassed the electronic governor with a power programmer, before that it would cut out at 100.
There are many more cars/trucks that will go much faster than that.

reply to post by DocMoreau

Thanks for responding to the thread, for a bit I thought I was on global ignore or something

LOL, I loved that. If there was such a thing as global ignore I'd def be using it in many ways
Cool thread btw, that is pretty wild if it is a car speeding that got picked up on radar.
Have an awesome weekend!

Stealth

reply to post by Kr0n0s


Never heard of that before. Anyway thanks for the information.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


I imagine that 520 km should reach. The car in the story was closer than that, but still a fairly rural area. Now you just need to wait for some young Mad Max to get his speed on...

Keep us posted, if and when!
DocMoreau