Weather Watchers Puzzled By Donut-shaped Cloud Phenomenon August 19, 2025
Michigan has been known to see some crazy weather throughout the year, but every once in a while, we will get a radar reading that is completely baffling. Recently, a radar reading that spanned Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana revealed a cloud formation in the shape of a giant donut. A video was uploaded on Facebook, which seemed to be a screen recording of the WWMT weather app showing the strange phenomenon.:
You're looking at a phenomenon that combines ducting, or radar reflecting off a temperature inversion, with a scan mode change, while the wsr-88d operator is trying to get the best set of returns for the circumstances. During the syncing process, there sometimes is a shift in the location of the center of the scans on the map. This is why you're seeing the green concentric bands. - Casey F.
Have you ever seen a formation like this on your radar before? This seems like a pretty wild thing to see without an explanation from meteorologists. Like, if I'm seeing a weather donut, I'm gonna need answers.
