What I am actually referring to in the post title is Weather Radar for Biking.
I have written about this subject a few other times in the past and as technology keeps changing but this is such and important tip ~ for those who may not already be aware of it or forget about it at times ~ that I believe it is definitely worth repeating.
Weather Radar just after my ride
The best way to check if you are going to get rained on when planning a ride or even when you are on one is simply to check the weather radar just before you ride or on your ride.
As for my story today, I have attached a screen shot of the weather radar ~ from the MyRadar app ~ from my phone from right after my ride. I forgot to check the radar before my ride but was at the point that I could do a 13 mile ride or an 18 mile ride.
It was partly cloudy but I remembered that there was a possibility of rain for today so I decided to check the radar to decide how far to go
I saw a big area of yellow and red what looked like about 45 minutes away. I decided on the 13 mile ride. Then about 15 minutes after I got home it started pouring! The extra 5 miles that I almost took ~ before my radar check ~ would have taken me at least a half hour more. That means at least 15 minutes of riding in pouring rain – Saved by the radar!!!
I am fortunate to have the radar app on my smart phone and I would definitely suggest that for those of you who have smart phones. If you don’t have a smart phone you can still check the radar easily on numerous sites on the internet, but you will have to remember to check before your ride. If you are just not technical or don’t have internet access then there is always the old Weather Channel updates or news if you are able to catch that at the right time.
The weather radar is way more accurate than a typical forecast that just says something like a 40% chance of rain (for example). These forecasts are usually for a much larger geography and it means that it will probably rain within 40% of this area. That could be all in the north and you are in the south (or any other situation) and it does not always tell you when it will come or for how long.
The animated radar lets you see exactly what is happening in your specific local area and you can usually get a pretty good idea about what might happen. If you see yellow or red very near then you will be getting heavy rain. Green and blue are iffy and harder to predict exactly what will happen but it still lets you know that you could get a little rain.
Well that’s it for now, if you are looking for bike accessories see our bike accessory page here for some good online resources.