TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Adobe Flash Player 9.0+ plug-in
• Windows 2000+ with latest updates installed
• Mac OS X 10.3+
• Firefox 1.1+, Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Safari 2.0+
• Works best with a broadband connection

Maps and Icons

Quick Views:
Click the Local, National or Spotlight buttons for a quick view. The image's date and time is at top right.

Icon Legend
Hover over an icon on the map or click for detailed information.

Rain	Snow
Heavy Rain	Possible Tornado
Wind & Rain	Hail
Rain & Snow Mix	Lightning

Navigation
Use the and  tools to zoom.
Click on the map and drag to view different areas.

Map Type
Choose "Aerial" to see detailed terrain, with buildings and other structures. "Map" shows a road map view.

Radar/Storms

Radar and Clouds:
Check boxes to overlay map with Radar, Clouds, and/or Storm Cells. The transparency setting affects the clouds and radar layers. Sliding to 0% makes clouds/radar opaque, while 100% makes them seem to disappear.

NWS Bulletins:
Click the NWS Bulletins checkbox to display National Weather Service bulletins by county.

Lightning
Each lightning icon represents one or more lightning strikes in the area — up to hundreds. The number represented depends on your zoom level. Lightning reports are from 0 to 15 minutes before the time stamp. Selecting the lightning layer will de-select all other layers.

Animate Your Map:
Shows movement of clouds and radar over a period of time. Date and time at upper right changes as the animation loops.
Stops looping; returns to the current image.

Other Notes

Real-Time Radar, Stored Surface:
The earth's surface is created with stored images, so rain or snow in the radar might not show up on the ground when you zoom in.

Imagery Updates and City Names
We use Microsoft Earth maps for displaying our radar and cloud information. All city and landmark names originate from Microsoft Earth, so we are unable to add names or correct spelling errors. Microsoft has its own schedule for updating its imagery.

Cloud Timestamp Older Than Radar Timestamp:
Cloud data is updated less frequently than radar data, so adding the cloud layer to your view might show you an earlier "snapshot" of the weather.

Radar When Not Raining:
Sometimes, radar can indicate light rain when no precipitation is reaching the ground. This is called virga — rain evaporating before it reaches the ground. — and can happen any time of year.

Possible Tornado with Low Wind Damage Potential?
When viewing a tornado's Storm Report, you might see that its "Damaging wind potential is low." That's not a mistake! The low wind potential refers to the thunderstorm's straight line winds, not the tornado itself. When this occurs, the atmosphere seems very quiet—and the tornado seems to come out of nowhere.