This section describes how to make displays using NWS WSR-88D Level III data.

Image 1: Level III Radar Display

The steps include:

• Choosing Radar Image Data from a Remote Server
• Creating the Radar Display

In the Data Explorer window, select the Data Sources tab. On the left side of this tab, select Radar->Level III from the list of available choosers. For more information about the Level III radar chooser, see Choosing NEXRAD Level III Radar Data.

Image 2: Data Sources Tab of the Data Explorer

1. Choose an ADDE Server and a Dataset to use. For this example, try Server: adde.ucar.edu and Dataset: RTNEXRAD.

2. Press Connect to query the server for available radars types:

3. Select a radar product, such as Base Reflectivity Tilt 1, from the pull-down menu.

4. The map shows the available radar station locations and IDs. Select one by clicking on it.


The Decluttter checkbox allows you to show all stations (not checked), or only a limited number of stations that do not overlap each other (checked). You will need to zoom in to see all the stations without overlaps.

5. You can choose a relative set of times steps (e.g., Last 5 times) or absolute times (see step 6):

6. You can choose a set of absolute times:


When choosing absolute times for the first time McIDAS-V needs to query the ADDE server for the times. This may take some time. To select more than one time use Control+click or Shift+click.

7. When done, load the selected radar data with the Add Source button.

The radar data source that you selected will be shown in the Field Selector tab of the Data Explorer.

Image 3: Field Selector Tab of the Data Explorer

Open up the Base Reflectivity tab under the Fields panel () to select a data type. Select "Image display" in the Displays panel under Imagery, and make the display by clicking the button.

You can add Range Rings with the Display->Add Range Rings menu item. To control the looping of the images in the Main Display window, use the Time Animation Widget.