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The word radar stands for Radio Detection and Ranging and radar images are useful for locating precipitation. As an X-ray machine examines the inside of a human body, a radar examines the inside of a cloud. A radar sends out signals into the atmosphere and if any precipitation is present, the radar signal is scattered back to the radar transmitter. These returned signals, called radar echoes, are used to produce radar images.
These radar images DO NOT specify precipitation type, as is seen with some newer products, only the location of precipitation and its intensity. Therefore, dark blue could represent either light rain or light snow, depending upon the weather conditions that existed at the time the radar image was generated.
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