mPING WEATHER TYPES EXPLAINED
What are all of those weather types that are listed in the mPING app? How do you tell the difference between freezing rain and freezing drizzle?
Test
- Sends a test report to confirm that OU received your report; you will see a small yellow X appear to show your report was received.
Rain and/or Snow
- None
- No precipitation occurring; most useful shortly before precipitation begins and after it ends
- Drizzle
- Very small, fine, numerous, and uniformly distributed water drops that may appear to float while following air currents
- Freezing Drizzle
- Drizzle that freezes into glaze or rime upon contact with the cold ground or surface structures
- Rain
- Liquid water drops that remain liquid upon reaching the ground or exposed objects
- Freezing Rain
- Rain that falls as a liquid but freezes upon impact to form a coating or glaze of ice on exposed objects (this will occur well before any ice forms on the ground)
- Ice Pellets/Sleet
- Small translucent balls of ice consisting of frozen raindrops (not to be confused with hail, which occurs with thunderstorms in the warm season). Ice pellets will usually bounce upon hitting the ground or other hard surfaces
- Snow
- Frozen precipitation most often in the form of flakes or aggregates of ice crystals; sometimes individual ice crystals
- Mixed Rain & Snow
- Usually has the consistency of slush; almost never results in any accumulation
- Mixed Rain & Ice Pellets
- Often occurs as wet ice pellets mixed with raindrops; sometimes occurs as falling raindrops containing one or perhaps few small pieces or chunks of ice (not snow)
- Mixed Freezing Rain & Ice Pellets
- Freezing rain falling with ice pellets; sometimes ice pellets are encased in a frozen glaze
- Mixed ice Pellets & Snow
- Ice pellets falling with snow
Hail (include size)
- A chunk of ice falling from the sky ranging from the size of a pea to a grapefruit; hail occurs exclusively in thunderstorms. Sleet is not tiny hail but is instead produced by a different process.
Wind Damage
- Severity 1 (Damage Trivial)
- Lawn furniture & trash cans displaced; small twigs broken off
- Severity 2 (Damage Mild)
- 1 inch tree limbs broken; shingles blown off
- Severity 3 (Damage Moderate)
- 3 inch tree limbs broken; power poles down
- Severity 4 (Damage Severe)
- Large trees uprooted or snapped; roofs blown off
- Severity 5 (Damage Extreme)
- Homes and buildings destroyed
Water Spout
- Not displayed but sent to the NWS
Tornado (on ground)
- Not displayed but sent to the NWS
Flood
- Severity 1 (Flood Minor)
- River/creek overflowing; cropland/yard/basement flooding
- Severity 2 (Flood Moderate)
- Street/road flooding; stranded vehicles
- Severity 3 (Flood Serious)
- Homes and buildings filled with water
- Severity 4 (Flood Severe)
- Homes, buildings and cars swept away
Mudslide/Landslide
- Areas of soil/mud that become loose due to lots of rainfall and then slide down a hillside; sometimes an entire hillside will come loose in a layer and slide
Reduced Visibility
- Dense Fog
- Visibility reduction caused by very tiny condensed water droplets so small that they cannot be individually distinguished; essentially a cloud on the ground
- Blowing Dust/Sand
- Visibility reduction caused by strong winds lofting sand and dust, most often from dry and barren soil
- Blowing Snow
- Snow lifted from the surface by the wind that reduces visibility; blowing snow can come from falling snow or snow that has already accumulated on the ground
- Snow Squall
- Rapid onset of intense but short-lived heavy snow and gusty winds resulting in near whiteout conditions (visibility 1/4 mile or less)