A Decade on From the Color Vision Conundrum: Plain-Language Optimization of Everyday Radar Imagery Relative to Red-Green Perceptual Differences

Amidst mid-2010s discussion on color consistency in weather messaging, Bolton and Blumberg (2015) first drew attention to the accessibility challenges faced by meteorologists in communicating critical and life-saving weather and natural hazard information to individuals with color vision differences (CVD). For about 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women, the perceptual experience of color is very different from what is typically experienced. Most commonly, differences occur with respect to shades of red, green, blue, and yellow–a significant barrier for a communication-based field in which most messaging occurs visually using those very colors. Between 2016 and 2018, advocacy resulted in advancements such as the implementation of more accessible radar color tables by some broadcast meteorologists and within industry tools, and reduced color complexity in National Weather Service products (Bolton et al. 2021). Most recently, conceptual work was carried out to examine some of these palettes (Sherman et al., 2024). However, color accessibility is not yet the norm; efforts remain piecemeal. This paper explores historical development and ongoing challenges around CVD, presents a case study examining accessibility for base reflectivity radar images–those the public most often interacts with–and provides a template for effective graphical design while underscoring the need for inclusive weather communication.