Atmospheric Conditions Affecting TV Reception

By Greg Martinez / January 2, 2020
Weather interference TV signal

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Stormy weather makes for a great time to stay indoors and watch TV. But will TV signal problems invariably crop up when you’re watching over the air (OTA) channels with an outdoor antenna?

Poor TV Reception in Bad Weather

Weather can indeed affect your reception. Heavy rain, high winds, and high pressure systems all have an impact.

However, the result you’re likely to see today is different from that of 15 years ago. Before 2009 (i.e., in the days of analog TV) weather-related interference used to be a static or unclear picture, or even ghosting.

In today’s digital world, it’s more likely the screen will go blank and there’ll be a period when you see nothing at all.

Blank TV screen

That’s because a TV receiving radio signals from towers is smart enough to inspect the signal and determine if it’s complete.

If some information is missing, it won’t display anything. This ensures a high-quality picture with no deterioration from the original broadcast.

However, the transmission can disappear entirely during less-than-optimal atmospheric conditions.

Does Rain Affect TV Signal?

Heavy rain TV signals

Normal precipitation has no impact, but heavy rainfall can reduce TV signal strength.

It can happen when there are enough fine raindrops that some of them absorb power from the signal. They can dissipate the signal, or, more commonly, they scatter it and cause interference.

Imagine a signal hitting a raindrop on one side and “coming out the back” in multiple places.

Each of these is a weakened signal, and some of them are moving off at angles rather than continuing toward your antenna.

Higher frequencies (i.e. shorter wavelengths) are more susceptible to scattering than lower frequencies.

Thus the phenomenon is more pronounced in UHF and the higher channels of VHF.

Rain is more likely to interfere with antennas than snow, largely because a raindrop is more dense than a snowflake. Hail is less a problem for reception than rain.

Does Heat Affect TV Reception?

Hot weather thermometer

The mere fact it’s hot outside won’t have an impact. However, high pressure conditions that sometimes occur in hot weather can create a situation.

Sometimes, high-altitude conditions cause high tropospheric air to cool more quickly than air near the ground.

When that takes place, lower warm air gets trapped and there’s a border between cold and warm air layers.

Broadcast signals can skip along the cold air layer and travel much farther than they normally could.

Ham radio operators look forward to talking to people all over the world in such “skip” weather conditions, but those circumstances won’t improve the situation for television.

If there’s a station a few hundred miles away on the same direct frequency as the local channel you’re watching, there can be disruption and some pixelation from that unwanted signal trying to sneak in on the one you want.

This is especially likely on cloudless summer evenings with high pressure and little or no wind.

This is called tropospheric propagation or tropospheric ducting. The next time you want to impress your friends, tell them, “We might be in for a little tropospheric ducting tonight, folks.”

NOTE: To see if you’re affected by tropospheric ducting, take a look at the six-day worldwide forecast from the DX Info Centre.

Does Cold Weather Affect Digital TV Reception?

Effect of cold temperatures on TV reception

As with hot weather, cold weather days won’t affect antennas in and of itself. However, with certain pressure situations you can have something similar to the hot weather issue.

It happens when there’s a temperature inversion: Instead of air steadily getting cooler when moving from the earth and through the troposphere, cold air gets trapped in a layer.

The cold air layer can be at the surface, or between a warm layer on the earth and another warm layer close above it.

If towers are actually inside a cold layer, or if their signals hit the bottom of a cold air layer at a gradual angle, there can be propagation.

Again, signals from outside one’s normal viewing area may reach antennas and cause interference.

What About Wind and Storms?

Wind and storms on roof

If there’s a nearby lightning strike, or heavy static charge in the air, temporary disruptions of service may arise. These are often bursts of static that are over as soon as the lightning bolt has struck.

The bigger threat is to your set. If antennas aren’t properly grounded, the electricity can travel through cables and frizzle TVs. And it doesn’t have to be a direct hit; a strike in the vicinity can do its trick.

As for wind, if antennas are swaying, their ability to capture signals may be lessened. And while the wind doesn’t affect signals directly, it can do its disservice though its impact on objects in the line of sight from the broadcast tower to you.

Kimberly A. - January 7, 2020

Is it okay to still watch TV even if there’s a thunderstorm if you have grounded your outdoor antenna?

Greg Martinez - January 8, 2020

Hi Kimberly, yes that should be fine. Occasionally or rarely you may get pixelation but hopefully not too much.

Lyle Kuchar - January 20, 2020

I bought a house near an ocean, is it possible that the ocean will affect my signal?

Greg Martinez - January 22, 2020

The ocean by itself won’t affect reception but weather patterns influenced by the ocean might. But I wouldn’t count on major disruptions.

J.M.P - March 14, 2020

What’s the best thing I should do if my reception is affected by the storm or any atmospheric condition?

Greg Martinez - March 15, 2020

I would say the best thing is to just wait it out – perhaps also check the stability of your TV antenna (if it sways back and forth this can affect reception).

CONNIE NELSON - May 18, 2020

Big rain storm in Chicagoland area yesterday. Most of my antenna stat ions are out.
HELP!!!

Greg Martinez - May 18, 2020

Hi Connie, sorry to hear that – you might want to verify that your own antenna is still working properly. Confirm its orientation & coaxial connections – it might’ve gotten blown over or otherwise facing in another direction. Don’t forget, the mast needs to remain vertical.

Digifan23 - May 19, 2020

i live in the Louisville area

and back in March the signal for my Buzzr affiliate was at 71% now the signal now fluctuating between 57% and 65%

there has been a lot of wind and rain the past few weeks could that be the reason my signal is weak?

Greg Martinez - May 19, 2020

Hi, if your antenna’s on the roof and you’re willing to go up there – check that there’s no issues with it and especially ensure the coax connections are tight & waterproofed. If the problem isn’t with your equipment then there might be some new interference of some sort introduced in the line of sight with the stations. Alternatively, the stations’ power output is in fluctuation (but that’s the least likely cause in my view). Changes in climate and weather (which disrupt signals) tend to only be temporary.

Mitch - August 27, 2020

Why is my over the air tv antenna cutting out unless I open the front door?

Greg Martinez - August 28, 2020

Is the door in the direction of the broadcast towers? You might consider moving the antenna to another location, like near a window.

Chuck - September 6, 2020

Wondering if wildfires in my area are interfering with OTA TV signals. At the same time I am receiving some new stations

Greg Martinez - September 6, 2020

Hard to say but you’ll have to wait till the fires are gone to know for sure!

rick chapman - September 26, 2020

I’ve had very good antenna tv reception, I notice high winds affect it and today it’s terrible and we’re having good weather, maybe high atmosphere winds, I can see the tree tops moving.

JD - September 27, 2020

I live north of Denver on Colorado’s Front Range not far from forest fires. Seems like broadcast tv is pixelating more than normal lately. Can wood (forest) smoke streaming through the area affect reception?

Greg Martinez - September 28, 2020

Hard to give a definitive answer—you’ll have to wait till after the fires to know for sure.

Jerry - December 15, 2020

I have a roof mounted channel master antenna with a booster. When the weather gets cold I am losing many channels we are about 60 miles from the source signal. Is there anything I can do to improve the signal winter time is the best time to be inside watching TV. It usually happens when the outside temperature gets below 15°F

Greg Martinez - December 15, 2020

Hi Jerry, sorry to hear that. Besides what the article says about cold layers, freezing temperatures can also affect equipment like causing metal to shrink slightly, but the fact you imply it’s a regular occurrence with reception improving with warmer weather makes this hard to troubleshoot or improve. You may want to check the antenna and connectors occasionally for corrosion or damage due to weather.

Jim Navotney - March 9, 2021

Back in the analog tv days you might just get a little ghosting or a little snow in the picture but you could still watch tv just fine.
Today’s digital format is all or nothing so the slightest degradation in the signal causes dropouts and loss of picture.
This past winter my antenna was completely encased in ice yet i ever lost my stations.
Heavy wind, heavy rain, heavy snow never affected it.
The only times i had channel loss was when greatly improved band conditions would occur for a few hours that would cause tv channels using the same frequency (co channel) to take out the local ones on the same frequency

Scott Gomon - July 13, 2021

Hi,

I am wondering if high humidity will adversely affect TV reception over the air?
I am noticing that reception is poor to none on mornings with high humidity, usually when it is at 75% or higher. Having recently installed a long range antenna I am amazed at the quality of the picture image but am frustrated that I am not able to watch the news in the morning on my favorite stations. Is this due to the High Pressure affecting the broadcast or does humidity also play a factor in the reception? Most days as it warms up and the humidity drops, I am then able to get good reception an nearly all of the stations I watch.
Thanks
Scott

Greg Martinez - July 13, 2021

Hi Scott, glad that your new long-range antenna is working out for you. Humidity can negatively impact over the air TV reception (due to the high moisture in the atmosphere) but it seems odd that it’s affecting it to that extent. I’d be inclined to believe there may be another cause lurking (like the high pressure you mentioned).

Alan - September 15, 2022

We live in the 02534 area code and our outside antenna at 28′ in height loses stations constantly, sometimes for minutes other times for days.
We have a Stacker Antenna w/ a booster facing the appropriate direction……any suggestions?
Thanks

Greg Martinez - September 15, 2022

Hard to say. Did the TV antenna ever work consistently? I’m guessing it’s due to interference of some sort – perhaps there are geographic barriers between your home and the towers.

marvin - July 21, 2023

i live in east Texas, for years i have had very good reception using over the air tv antennas. we do have a lot of trees and the house is in a low area,
for the last 18 months the signals in this area have had disruption from time to time.
This summer with temps up to 110 has been really bad.
I have a main house antenna with to uhf antennas and on old east texas special that was designed to pickup 3,6,12 on the front and channel 7 on the back, these antennas are spaced on a 30ft pole with a combiner and amp that works very well.
I have a shop on the other end of the house where i can test antennas for this area.
Basic i get about the same reception on both systems. I use a avcom PSA-35A spectrum analyzer to look at signal levels.
The last 18 months the signals levels have gotten really bad early in the morning and early evening the base line on the signals from channel transmitter 15 to 34 goes to the top of the line with a lot of noise, and blocks all of the channels on both systems, some times i will pick up 5 or 6 channel from Houston which is about 250 miles out, most of the time i don’t get anything, this got really bad starting early June. Midday
most of the channels are fine. Early this morning i had one channel on the house and none on the shop,

Greg Martinez - July 22, 2023

That definitely looks like a weather pattern although more I don’t know unfortunately.

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