RadarBug
Weather Guides
Plain-language explanations of the weather concepts RadarBug displays — what the radar colors actually mean, how a watch differs from a warning, and how to read a hurricane's forecast cone without misreading it. These are general meteorology background, not specific to any one storm.
How to Read a Weather Radar
What radar actually measures, what the color scale from green to red to pink means, how to tell a strengthening storm from a weakening one in a loop, and the most common ways radar can mislead you if you don't know its limits.
Read the guide →NWS Watches vs. Warnings Explained
The single most misunderstood pair of words in weather alerting. What "conditions are favorable" actually means versus "take action now," walked through for thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes specifically.
Read the guide →Hurricane Categories & Forecast Cones Explained
What the Saffir-Simpson category number does and doesn't tell you, why the "cone of uncertainty" isn't the size of the storm, and why storm surge — not wind speed — is the hazard that kills the most people.
Read the guide →Red Tide Explained
What red tide actually is, what causes a bloom, why its airborne and seafood risks work completely differently, and why commercially sold shellfish stays safe even during an active bloom.
Read the guide →Lightning Safety Explained
The 30-30 rule, why there's no truly safe place outdoors, indoor hazards people forget about (corded phones, plumbing), common myths, and what to do if someone is struck.
Read the guide →Pollen Types, Seasons & Counts Explained
Tree, grass, and weed pollen and mold spores: a month-by-month season calendar, peak times by region, the major mold types and when each peaks, what the station counts and the 0–5 forecast index mean, and how rain, wind, and thunderstorms change what's in the air.
Read the guide →Weather Fronts Explained
What cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts are, what the red and blue symbols on the map mean, what the H and L mark, and the weather to expect before, during, and after a front passes.
Read the guide →Regional Weather
The same hazards play out differently depending on where you are. These cover the specific weather patterns, seasonal timing, and risks of a few distinct U.S. regions.
Gulf Coast Weather Guide
Hurricane season timing, why the shallow continental shelf raises storm surge risk, red tide prevalence, and the region's daily sea-breeze thunderstorm pattern.
Read the guide →Florida Weather Guide
Why Florida is the most lightning-prone state, its three-coast hurricane exposure, the daily summer storm rhythm, and Gulf-coast red tide.
Read the guide →Tornado Alley Weather Guide
Why the dryline fuels supercells, the spring severe weather peak, large hail risk, and what a Storm Prediction Center outlook actually means.
Read the guide →