Definition
A weather product generated from National Weather Service radar observations that describes the location, intensity, movement, and type of precipitation echoes detected by ground-based weather radar. It typically includes information on areas of precipitation, echo tops, cell movement, and severity, and is used to identify thunderstorms and other significant precipitation activity along a route of flight.
Plain English
A weather report built from radar pictures of rain, snow, or storms. It tells pilots where the precipitation is, how strong it is, which way it's moving, and how high the tops are.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym and abbreviation lists, weather briefings, and aviation weather material when radar-based weather reports are discussed.
Derivation
The 'SD' is the teletype product code historically used by the National Weather Service for radar summary data, and 'ROB' stands for Radar Observation. The label survives from the era of teletype weather distribution and is still seen in product identifiers today.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to identify and avoid areas of hazardous weather during planning and flight.
Grounding Statement
Picture a weather radar screen showing patches of rain; an SD-ROB turns that radar picture into a short aviation weather report.
Intuition Check
SD-ROB does not mean the radar display itself. It means a reported summary made from radar observations.
Example Sentence 1
During her preflight briefing, the pilot reviewed the radar weather report to check for thunderstorm activity along her route.
Example Sentence 2
An updated SD-ROB showed the line of heavy rain moving northeast.