weather radar
- noun
- /ˈwɛðər ˈreɪdɑr/
- Specialized
- Doppler weather radar
- new weather radar
- weather radar shows
Examples
-
Weather radar spotted a convection cell above the neck of the pass.
Fiction book (1998) -
Below is a screen capture of a weather radar at about 10 p.m. on October 30, showing the eye of Hurricane Sandy passing directly over the city of Philadelphia:
Blog text (6) -
At present, most tornado detection relies on either groups of roving "tornado spotters" or weather radar.
Blog text (2) -
Electrical engineer Paul Schleider (left) and meteorologist John Westbrook examine clear-air imagery from a NEXRAD Doppler weather radar.
Academic text (1999) -
The new weather radar can detect heavy rain and help meteorologists issue timely alerts.
-
Meteorologists rely on weather radar to monitor storms and predict severe weather conditions.
-
Using weather radar, they were able to track the movement of the hurricane as it approached the coast.
How Detailed
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'weather' (atmospheric conditions) with 'radar' (a device using radio waves to detect objects), i.e. a radar used to detect and monitor weather. This modifier+noun compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
The noun weather radar comes from two parts: weather (the sky's conditions) and radar (a machine that 'looks' into the sky using invisible waves). It 'sees' rain and storms so people can know where bad weather is.