🗺️ Maps & Radar

SounderPy sounding and hodograph plots can include a geographic inset showing the profile location and, when available, radar reflectivity.

This tutorial covers:

• disabling the map entirely;

• displaying the map without radar;

• changing the map extent;

• displaying single-site WSR-88D reflectivity;

• displaying recent CONUS mosaic reflectivity;

• selecting the radar valid time.

Note

Map and radar features require internet access to external data and mapping services. Radar availability also depends on the requested date, location, and upstream archive.

---

Retrieve an Example Sounding

The archived examples use the OAX sounding from 16 June 2014 at 18 UTC:

import sounderpy as spy

data = spy.get_obs_data(
    "OAX",
    "2014", "06", "16", "18",
    hush=True,
)

---

Disable the Map

Set map_zoom=0 to hide the map inset:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar=None,
    map_zoom=0,
)

This is useful when:

• the map does not add useful context;

• you are creating a cleaner publication figure;

• you are working with limited or no network connectivity.

---

Display a Map without Radar

Set radar=None while keeping map_zoom greater than zero:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar=None,
    map_zoom=2,
)

---

Change the Map Extent

map_zoom controls the size of the geographic area shown around the profile location.

For example:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar=None,
    map_zoom=4,
)

Use smaller or larger values depending on the geographic context you want to show. Setting map_zoom=0 removes the inset completely.

---

Single-Site Radar

Set radar="single" to request reflectivity from the nearest supported WSR-88D site:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar="single",
    radar_time="sounding",
    map_zoom=2,
)

Single-site radar availability depends on the radar site and requested time.

---

Radar Mosaic

Set radar="mosaic" to use the supported CONUS reflectivity mosaic:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar="mosaic",
    radar_time="sounding",
    map_zoom=2,
)

Important

Mosaic reflectivity is a recent-data product. Historical soundings outside the supported mosaic window should use radar="single" when archived single-site radar is available, or radar=None.

---

Radar Timing

radar_time controls which time is requested for radar data.

Use the sounding valid time:

radar_time="sounding"

or request the current time:

radar_time="now"

A typical sounding-time request is:

spy.build_sounding(
    data,
    radar="single",
    radar_time="sounding",
    map_zoom=2,
)

---

The Same Options on Hodographs

The standalone hodograph accepts the same map/radar arguments:

spy.build_hodograph(
    data,
    radar="single",
    radar_time="sounding",
    map_zoom=2,
)

or:

spy.build_hodograph(
    data,
    radar=None,
    map_zoom=0,
)

---

CLI Examples

Map disabled:

sounderpy obs OAX 2014-06-16 18 \
    --plot sounding \
    --map-zoom 0

The current CLI exposes map zoom directly. More specialized radar selection is available through the Python plotting API.

---

Troubleshooting

If the map works but radar does not:

• confirm that the requested radar mode is supported;

• confirm that radar data exist for the requested time;

• try radar=None to determine whether the issue is radar-specific;

• for mosaic data, try a recent sounding;

• for older cases, try radar="single".

If neither map nor radar is needed, map_zoom=0 provides the simplest and most robust plotting path.

---

Next Steps

Continue to Parcel Settings to customize the parcel traces displayed on a sounding.

See also:

• Plotting Data

• Troubleshooting