Shades of Blue indicate light precipitation. As precip becomes heavier it is shown as yellow, orange, red and finally white.

Usually, when radar echoes reach the yellow level of the scale, they tend to be associated with thunder and lightning. Red indicates the heaviest rainfall and possible hail.

The strength of any radar signal decreases farther away from the radar site. Because of this, radar echoes farther from the Twin Cities will tend to look weaker than they actually are.

Large thunderstorms over western Minnesota or northern Iowa may only create blue or green echoes while the same storm over St. Cloud would appear as red on the screen.

Radar also has a tough time detecting snow. As a result, snow could be falling over parts of the area displayed on your screen but the radar may not show any echoes.

Because of the complexity of radar technology and image interpretation, you should not use the Current SkyScan 11 images on kare11.com as a substitute for the advice of a trained meteorologist. Be sure to tune in to KARE 11 NEWS for expert interpretation of radar images and the forecast.