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WHAT ARE ECHO TOPS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE?

METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY

An echo top is the radar indicated top of an area of precipitation. Once the precipitation intensity drops below a threshold value as the radar beam samples higher elevations of a storm or precipitation region then the echo top is located. The cloud top will often extend above the echo top since clouds are more difficult to detect by radar.

Echo tops can be used to assess the intensity of a storm. The rule of thumb is that the higher the echo tops are in a storm then the stronger the updraft is that produced that storm. A stronger updraft makes convective wind gusts and large hail more likely. When there are several storms on radar, the ones with the higher echo tops may be the most likely ones to produce the most significant severe weather (convective wind gusts and hail).