Overview:

Storm Predator (SP) is a program to allow you to monitor NEXRAD Doppler Weather Radar using the National Weather Service's nationwide NEXRAD network. It will automatically retrieve images and loops from the over 150 NEXRAD locations nationwide. It communicates directly with the National Weather Service Data Center in Silver Spring Maryland using any available Internet connection and uses the RIDGE GIS compatible radar data set available from the NWS. This enhanced view of NWS Doppler radar images allows interactivity with the display providing you with the ability to customize the way you "look" at weather. Called RIDGE (Radar Integrated Display with Geospatial Elements), the radar image can be layered with geospatial elements such as topography maps, highways, state/county boundaries and weather warnings.

RIDGE gives Storm Predator Version 3 is a huge improvement in weather radar visualization over SP versions 1.x and 2.x Most importantly, we have used our vast experience in creating weather maps for television to provide what we believe to be the best looking and most readable set of topographic basemaps ever presented on a desktop radar display. We also use enhanced color palettes to make the visualization of radar echoes easier and more natural to the human eye over the standard presentations offered by the NWS.

SP3 has the true GIS (Geographic Information Systems) compatibility, allowing it to use layered data with true latitude / longitude accuracy of the displayed elements. SP3 is designed to be fully automatic in operation. Once you choose the radar location you are interested in and define your local Scan Zone to scan for possible severe weather, its fully automatic after that. When SP3 detects a storm in your area, it will automatically popup an alert and optionally sound an alert to let you know severe weather is on the way! Scan Zones are fully customizable for size and location, plus thresholds for storm intensity are also customizable. Email and Pager/Cellphone bulletins can be sent from StormPredator also.

SP3 also has an exclusive powerful Storm Tracking Tool, which allows you to predict thunderstorm speed, direction, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) for any location on the map that may be in the path of an approaching thunderstorm. A distance measuring tool and Lat/Lon positioning tool are also included. These tools are far more accurate in SP3 thanks to the implementation of the GIS system.

SP3 is fully customizable in operation and looks. Skin templates can be applied, buttons can be changed, and settings can be modified to your liking. Almost everything can be set. New In SP3 is an optional square interface has been implemented in addition to the classic round radar PPI interface that has been the trademark look of SP. Try the ALT-Q hotkey to see it.

Additional topographic base maps can be applied to SP3 for greater detail, and custom base maps can be generated if needed. Multiple layers of roads, rivers, county lines, state and US boundaries, and other layers can also be customized using a paint program. See the \data folder for these map layers which are tied to each radar location using the radar ID code.

SP3 also includes weather content accessories to show you a national radar map with regional click through, state level weather bulletin watch/warning maps with satellite and radar overlays, and a powerful web forecasting engine to give you forecasts for any location in the USA and most parts of the world.

StormPredator 3 Features

• SP3 uses the latest RIDGE radar imagery from the NWS
   
• There are now nine NEXRAD radar display products where before there were two:

• Short range base reflectivity
• Short range composite reflectivity
• Long range base reflectivity
• One-hour precipitation
• Storm total precipitation
• Storm relative motion
• Base velocity
• Vertically Integrated Liquid
• Echo Tops

• Detailed, accurate, and photorealistic
  topographic maps come standard for both long and short range display
  projections and for all radar product types. These maps have been designed
  using our extensive experience in broadcast TV weather, making maps that are
  pleasing to the eye and easy to view on most any display, including NTSC video
   
• Multiple overlay layers are supported
  including roads, county borders, state/national borders, rivers/lakes, city
  names, and weather warnings, all instantly and independently selectable.
  Custom overlays can be added.
   
• A new map key now exists to show weather
  warnings that are overlaid on the radar map
   
• Every map layer overlay exists on the disk as
  a graphics file which can be modified/customized to your liking using third
  party graphics editing programs
   
• The program sports a new interface, and has a
  instantly switchable rectangular mode in addition to the classic round PPI
  radar scope mode try ALT-Q to see it.
   
• SP3 now has a selectable "drop shadow" feature
  to make the radar echoes more visible, especially when used with TV displays
  that use S-Video or NTSC output
   
• The program is now GIS accurate. A custom GIS
  graphic overlay can be imported if desired
   
• Thanks to the GIS capability, latitude and
  longitude settings are much more accurate than before, making distance
  measurement more accurate, and storm tracking more accurate
   
• The GIS accuracy built into SP3 paves the way
  for future product additions such as lightning strikes, surface weather data,
  upper air data and more
   
• Storm Predator now fetches all 24 frames of
  radar loop images that are available upon startup or location change. No more
  waiting to collect additional images
   
• For low bandwidth (dialup) connections, the
  fetch of loop images can be disabled