Which best describes the weather radar velocity product?

• A. It indicates the direction and speed of precipitation toward or away from the radar.
• B. It measures wind speed at the radar site.
• C. It provides the cloud's temperature.
• D. It shows the radar's altitude.

Answer: (A)

The velocity product on weather radar uses the Doppler effect to reveal how fast and in what direction precipitation particles are moving toward or away from the radar. It shows the radial motion along the radar beam, indicating inbound (toward) or outbound (away) motion and the speed of that motion. This is exactly what the velocity field represents, derived from the Doppler shift of the returned signal from precipitation. It does not measure wind speed at the radar site, nor does it provide cloud temperature or the radar’s altitude. This makes it especially useful for spotting wind shear and rotations, where opposing inbound and outbound velocities indicate circulations near storms.