Colours of Precipitation type on Radar

[SussexmarkyMark]

Does anyone else struggle with the colours used to differentiate between the types of precipitation on the radar?  It always used to be red and pink for snow, which was easily distinguishable from the blues of the rain.  Now I believe it's purple for snow, which used to be the colour used for freezing rain.

Maybe it's because I'm partially colour blind, but I find it almost impossible to now tell whether the radar is showing rain or snow.

It's very disappointing.

I'm not sure the key at the bottom of the radar has even been updated to reflect the different colours.

 

 

 

 

[Summertime Sadness]

 SussexmarkyMark I agree the colours aren't great, as too similar on the spectrum

[SussexmarkyMark]

 Summertime Sadness

I find it annoying that issues of colour vision are taken less seriously than other impairments, even though it impedes my ability to use the radar.

Interesting that you appear to have a different colour key at the bottom of the map, than I get on the netweather radar app on my android phone.

 

[Summertime Sadness]

 SussexmarkyMark mine is android too! If I use the seperate radar it is different to the one at the top of this page i'll show you...

[Summertime Sadness]

Oh actually sorry no it's the same, I think i'd been looking at s different app. Anyway it's definitely not clear enough! 

[SussexmarkyMark]

I think the colours on the map don't match the colours in the key.

My partner says the key for snow is red, but it's not the same as the colours over northern England, where I believe it is falling as snow. 

[Summertime Sadness]

 SussexmarkyMark I think the red is the real heavy stuff.. starts pink on chart then goes throught the darker shades to red, but the pink on the map is a different pink all together!

[SussexmarkyMark]

That's what I thought.  It's a type of pink that I find almost indistinguishable from the purple and blue, so completely useless for me.

Oh well, I probably won't need the pinks and reds in Sussex that often!

[Mapantz]

Here's the colour key on the radar Extra

[SussexmarkyMark]

 Mapantz Yes, so the old reds for snow have gone, and the new shade of pink/purple looks almost exactly the same as the colours for rain / freezing rain, for my colourblind vision.

I wonder why they decided to remove the red. 

[cheeky_monkey]

 Summertime Sadness its funny that it is the other way round here in Canada..green is rain blue is snow and pink is mixed percip (sleet)

[Summertime Sadness]

 cheeky_monkey I have no idea why they changed it, I know Accuweather isn't particularly reliable but they use this..

[Snowspout]

What a forecast this is for Orkney. Wonder if the precipitation type radar can confirm if this is accurate.

[Paul]

We'll have a look into the scale in terms of what can been done to make it better for those with visual impairments.  The change to the scale should have been reflected in the key on the android app, so we'll make sure that's updated as well.

[Paul]

We've rolled the scale back to the original version for the time being at least, while we investigate options to potentially update it again in the future. 

[IslaArklayblend]

As for Rainfall Intensity, I prefer this version of the Met Office's colours.

From 12th August 2020 when the fatal railway accident (mercifully, due to COVID, only 3 victims when there could have been scores) took place near Stonehaven as the driver, instructed to "proceed as normal" by a signal box man just to the south, powered the train up to over 70 mph, possibly, only to strike a large washout of gravel on the track.

The white area indicates an intensity of >32mm/hour.  "Heavy" to Met. observers is >4mm/hour (brown upwards  to red/pink) - and that is "stotting" as we say up here.

[Paul]

 IslaArklayblend We actually have that as an option on our V8 radar: