Any object within the beam reflects energy back to the radar. The WSR-88D uses a complex
algorithm, called a clutter filter, to perform an analysis on the data to determine if
the returned energy is from a desirable target (weather) or not (non-weather clutter). One
factor used in the clutter filter process is the motion of the return. Clutter mitigation
filters within the WSR-88D can not filter rotating wind turbines due to the motion of the
blades. When the turbines are close to the radar, they penetrate more of the beam increasing
the amount of energy returned to the radar, resulting in higher reflectivity values, potentially
at multiple elevation angles.
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