Have you ever heard of a microburst? At the beginning of this unit, you learned that the air movement caused by thunderstorms can include strong downdrafts. Sometimes, these downdrafts are so strong that they can knock down trees and even cause planes to crash when they are close to the ground trying to land or take off.

Thankfully, technology can help predict the weather and save lives. Doppler radar is a special type of radar that can beam a signal into clouds and get more specific weather information about wind speed and severe weather.  Doppler radar is used on the ground, but it is also put into the nose cones of airplanes so pilots can be warned about microbursts.

  Videos

Watch this video: The invention of Doppler radar makes easier weather prediction and safer air travel.

Doppler radar is very useful for predicting and tracking weather systems. An extreme example of a weather system is a hurricane. A hurricane is an area of low pressure with very strong winds that can be damaging and deadly.  Thankfully, satellites and Doppler radar can track a hurricane so that people in the path can be warned.

Watch this video: Doppler radar images of one of the worst hurricanes in history, Katrina.

Watch this video: NASA explains the satellite image technology used to track weather and storms like hurricane Katrina.