Tornado Map Live Doppler Radar & Storm Tracking
Tornado map live interactive view provides real-time vector warning polygons, NEXRAD Doppler radar reflectivity, and street-level storm tracking.
Doppler Radar Reflectivity (dBZ) Guide
Understanding meteorological radar color spectrums and severe storm intensity
NEXRAD Doppler weather radar measures the energy reflected back to the radar antenna by precipitation particles (measured in decibels of reflectivity, or dBZ). Higher dBZ values indicate heavier rainfall rates, large hail, or tornadic debris lofted thousands of feet into the air.
Mist, drizzle, light virga
Steady rainfall, thunder initiation
Intense downpours, small hail
Supercell updrafts, severe hail
Extreme reflectivity, lofted debris signature (TDS)
A hook echo is a distinctive curved reflectivity pattern extending from the southwest flank of a supercell. It forms when precipitation is swept around the storm's rotating mesocyclone updraft by the Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD), indicating where a tornado is most likely to touch down.
When a violent tornado touches down, it lofts trees, roofing materials, and debris into the vortex. Dual-polarization radar detects this as a Tornadic Debris Signature (TDS)—characterized by high reflectivity combined with low correlation coefficient (CC < 0.8), confirming a damaging tornado on the ground.
How to Navigate the Interactive Radar Canvas
Customizing your situational awareness view
Use the floating Layers menu to switch between CARTO Street, Dark Vector, or high-res Esri Satellite terrain imagery.
Toggle NWS Tornado Warnings (Red), Tornado Watches (Amber), and NEXRAD Doppler radar overlays individually.
Tap the Play button on the timeline bar to animate past radar frames and track storm speed and directional trajectory.
Tornado Radar Map FAQ
Common questions regarding interactive radar tracking and polygon overlays