HOPKINS GLOSSARY OF WEATHER TERMS R


radar (radio detection and ranging)

radio-direction finder

radiometer

radiosonde

rain gauge- Any instrument used to measure the total amount of precipitation that falls upon a given unit area during a specified time interval. Gauges can be adapted to collect snow for the determination of liquid water equivalent of snowfall. Recording rain gauges measure precipitation rates over fixed time intervals to provide an indication of rainfall intensity . Essentially all gauges are calibrated in units of depth of accumulation, e.g., millimeters or inches.

range - (1) The distance between two objects, usually an observation point and an object under observation, see also slant range and horizontal range. (2) A maximum distance attributable to some process, as in visual range, radar range or the "range'' of an aircraft.

Range Height Indicator (RHI)

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rawinsonde - An upper-air weather observation system (from the surface to approximately 30 km altitude) made by balloon-borne instrument package (radiosonde) that provides direct measurement of ambient air temperature, pressure, and humidity as well as the evaluation of the wind speed and direction aloft by means of tracking the position change of the radiosonde by directional radio techniques.

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reflectivity

relative humidity

remote

remote sensing

resistance thermometer

ROBIN

  1. Acronym for ROcket Balloon INstrument.

rocketsonde

rocket sounding


Last update 6 June 1996
Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison
hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu