What does a Range Height Indicator (RHI) provide?

A Range Height Indicator (RHI) provides a vertical sweep of radar data along a specified azimuth. This means it creates a cross-section of the atmosphere that reveals how echo intensity varies with height at a particular angle. The RHI displays how precipitation or other targets change vertically, allowing meteorologists to analyze the structure of storms or other atmospheric phenomena in detail. This vertical perspective is particularly valuable for understanding the development and characteristics of severe weather, such as thunderstorms, since it can highlight features like vertical wind shear, storm updrafts and downdrafts, and the height of precipitation.

The other options involve misunderstandings of the type of data represented in an RHI. A horizontal slice of radar data focuses on a flat layer of the atmosphere, which is not what an RHI does. Data at a constant altitude but varying angle would instead describe a different radar product, such as a plan position indicator (PPI), where radar data is displayed across different angles at a specific altitude level. Lastly, while precipitation intensity can be derived from RHI data, it's not the primary function of the RHI itself, but rather a characteristic that can be inferred from interpreting the vertical structure presented.