Cicadas Likely Captured On Weather Radar In Maryland As Peak Season Underway
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Cicadas are in peak around Maryland, covering everything outside and buzzing loudly. But they are so bad here, they are likely being captured on weather radar.
It's probably not surprising to Marylanders, especially those living in areas with lots of trees.
And as the weather got hotter this week, the cicadas got louder.
Over the past couple of days, radar has been showing a lot of additional "noise."
Doppler radar works by transmitting a beam of microwave energy into the atmosphere. When that energy comes in contact with a target, the energy is then bounced back to the radar. The resulting energy wavelength can tell us so much information about what is going on in our atmosphere.
Doppler radar likely picking up on cicadas flying around in the atmosphere. @wjz pic.twitter.com/jWWdkep8QO
— Chelsea Ingram (@ChelseaWeather) June 8, 2021
We usually use an algorithm called H-Class or hydrometeor classification to determine precipitation type in the atmosphere like rain/hail/sleet/snow -- this type of algorithm is even capable of discriminating between raindrops of different sizes.
I typically will use this algorithm to determine precipitation type on radar... rain/sleet/snow/hail... however the past couple of days, the algorithm is detecting something biological flying around in the atmosphere. Likely cicadas... @wjz pic.twitter.com/tH81rNbmD8
— Chelsea Ingram (@ChelseaWeather) June 8, 2021
It can also determine if something that is showing up on radar is in fact biological in nature. Recents returns are showing up as biological in nature which is leading scientists and entomologists across the region to believe cicadas likely have something to do with this!
Originally posted on June 8, 2021.