For the following radar interpretation scenario, choose the aspect of radar geometry or operation that is probably causing the difficulty.
You are walking home and it looks rainy. You call your friend who is on forecasting duty to ask if you will get soaked. She says that according to the reflectivity image, it is currently raining right where you are. You tell her that it is not raining anywhere that you can see—there are just some dark clouds above. What do you think caused this discrepancy? Explain.
(Type your answer in the box, then click Done.)
It is likely that your friend was looking at composite reflectivity instead of base reflectivity. Composite reflectivity shows the strongest reflectivity value within the radar range, and it is a mistake to interpret it as showing what is happening at the surface. If your friend was looking at a base reflectivity image, the precipitation probably evaporated before reaching the ground.