User:KYsnowmaker/sandbox

Remote Sensing
Meteorologists have various methods to detect snowflakes in the atmosphere at different scales, from satellites imaging snowstorms impacting an entire region to cameras taking pictures of single snowflakes. Most applicable to general forecasting is radio detection and ranging, or radar. Radar detects snowflakes by sending out a beam of radiation and then receiving the energy that is reflected by any precipitation. Radar algorithms then process the returned radar signals into map imagery. Snowflakes can be differentiated from other types of precipitation by the patterns they display, such as having more uniform sizes than raindrops or having a feathery appearance on radar imagery. Melting snowflakes are especially reflective to radar due to a phenomenon known as "bright band."