Which device is used to detect and monitor the location and movement of precipitation, especially in severe storms?

• A. Doppler Radar
• B. Thermometer
• C. Anemometer
• D. Barometer

Answer: (A)

Measuring where precipitation is and how it’s moving relies on Doppler radar. It sends out radio waves and reads the echoes from raindrops or snowflakes. The Doppler shift in the returned signal shows whether those droplets are moving toward or away from the radar, so meteorologists map both the location of precipitation and its velocity across a region. Scanning across the area reveals wind patterns inside storms, helps detect rotation and shear that indicate severe storms, and tracks how the storm evolves in real time. Temperature, pressure, and simple wind-speed sensors don’t provide this spatial, motion-related view of precipitation, making Doppler radar the best tool for this task.