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SPC Mesoanalysis

Real-time analysis of severe-weather ingredients, updated every hour. Click a product to view the live image at spc.noaa.gov.

Soundings & profiles

• All US RAOB soundings (Skew-T) →
• SPC Mesoanalysis index (all sectors) →
• Pivotal Weather — HRRR CAPE forecast →

Storm spotting

• Active SPC watches (mesoscale discussions) →
• NWS radar — full Doppler products (incl. velocity) →

Reading the products: high CAPE (>2500 J/kg) = fuel for storms. High 0–1 km SRH (>200 m²/s²) + sig-tor > 1 = rotating updrafts likely. Look at the radar's storm-relative velocity (NWS link above) for actual rotation in real time.

Live Doppler velocity from NEXRAD site -- (NOAA/NWS Level 3, updates every 4–5 minutes).

What you're looking at

The radar measures how fast air (and rain, hail, debris) is moving toward or away from the radar antenna. Green = coming toward the radar. Red = going away.

The signature that matters

Look for a tight couplet — a small patch of strong green pressed directly against strong red. That means air is rushing in opposite directions just a short distance apart, which is rotation. A supercell's rotating updraft looks like this, and a tornado is a very tight, very intense version of it.

• Tighter is worse. The smaller the distance between the green and red cores, the more concentrated the spin.
• Stronger is worse. Deep/bright colors on both sides mean higher wind speeds in the rotation.
• Watch it over time. Press ▶ and see if the couplet is tightening and intensifying (worsening) or spreading out (weakening). That trend is the most useful thing on this layer.
• Persistent beats brief. Rotation that holds together for several scans is far more concerning than a single-frame blip.

Confirming a tornado on the ground

Turn on Echo type / debris (dual-pol). Dual-polarisation radar classifies what it's hitting — rain, hail, snow, insects, and lofted debris. Note this layer colours the whole echo by type, not debris alone, so expect it to cover the storm. What matters is the debris category appearing in the same spot as a tight velocity couplet: that combination means a tornado is on the ground right now, not a possibility. Take shelter immediately if it's upstream of you.

Limitations — read these once

• Only motion straight toward or away from the radar is measured. A wind blowing exactly sideways across the beam reads as zero. This is not a true wind-direction map.
• The beam rises with distance. Close to the radar you're seeing near-ground rotation; 60+ miles out you're seeing several thousand feet up, which may not reflect what's happening at the surface.
• Straight-line wind shear and small-scale ground clutter can mimic couplets. Corroborate before acting on it.
• This is a supplement, not a substitute. Official warnings, your phone's emergency alerts, and a NOAA weather radio remain the primary call for when to shelter — they carry information radar alone doesn't, including spotter reports.