Which option is the most reflective radar target according to the radar reflection order?

Which option is the most reflective radar target according to the radar reflection order?

• A. Wet Hail
• B. Rain
• C. Ice Crystals
• D. Dry Snow

Answer: (A)

Radar reflectivity depends on how strongly a particle backscatters microwave energy, which comes from both the particle’s size and its material properties. Water has a very high dielectric constant compared with ice, so particles containing liquid water backscatter much more strongly than dry ice or dry snow. Wet hail often combines a relatively large size with a liquid-water coating, making it a particularly efficient reflector. In comparison, raindrops (though numerous) are typically smaller and have lower per-particle reflectivity than a wet hailstone, while ice crystals and dry snow are solid ice with much lower dielectric contrast and smaller effective scattering, yielding weaker radar returns. So the strongest radar reflection among these options comes from wet hail.

Radar reflectivity depends on how strongly a particle backscatters microwave energy, which comes from both the particle’s size and its material properties. Water has a very high dielectric constant compared with ice, so particles containing liquid water backscatter much more strongly than dry ice or dry snow. Wet hail often combines a relatively large size with a liquid-water coating, making it a particularly efficient reflector. In comparison, raindrops (though numerous) are typically smaller and have lower per-particle reflectivity than a wet hailstone, while ice crystals and dry snow are solid ice with much lower dielectric contrast and smaller effective scattering, yielding weaker radar returns. So the strongest radar reflection among these options comes from wet hail.