Dr. David Atlas, one of the meteorologists who led the development of weather radar after World War II, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 91. His decades of research laid the foundation for the weather radars—and many of their benefits—we take for granted today.

Meteorologists have to deal with sharp tongues when forecasts don't pan out, but it's not every day they have to deal with sharp teeth. The National Weather Service released a statement this afternoon announcing that repairs to a Texas weather radar were put on hold "due to complications involving a rattlesnake."

This evening's explosion of a rocket launching from Wallops Island, Virginia produced such a large blast that the fire and smoke was detected by a weather radar site in Delaware.

During the recent severe storms, weather geeks were posting radar images all over social media. Since not everyone is a weather geek, one of the most common questions people asked was "what am I looking at?" Fear not — here's how you can see a tornado using weather radar.

Among the many things that weather radar can detect — aside from precipitation, bats, bugs, planes, the ground, space shuttles, and tornado debris — are the tall wind turbines used to generate energy across many parts of the central United States.