Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Marked Tree, AR Decatur, TN Rumsey, CA

1. Beach Hazards Statement for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast

2. Flood Watch for: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; Santa Clarita Valley; Santa Ynez Valley; Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Ventura County Beaches; Ventura County Inland Coast; Lake Casitas; Ojai Valley; Central Ventura County Valleys; Malibu Coast; Los Angeles County Beaches; Palos Verdes Hills; Los Angeles County Inland Coast including Downtown Los Angeles; Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Western San Fernando Valley; Eastern San Fernando Valley; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Santa Susana Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains; Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley; San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands; Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands

3. High Surf Advisory for: Malibu Coast; Los Angeles County Beaches

4. High Surf Advisory for: San Diego County Coastal Areas; Orange County Coastal

5. High Surf Advisory for: San Luis Obispo County Beaches; Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches

6. High Surf Advisory for: San Luis Obispo County Beaches; Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches

7. High Surf Advisory for: Ventura County Beaches

8. High Wind Watch for: Cuyama Valley; San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys; San Luis Obispo County Mountains; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills

9. High Wind Watch for: San Diego County Mountains

10. High Wind Watch for: San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

11. Wind Advisory for: Apple and Lucerne Valleys

12. Wind Advisory for: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; Santa Clarita Valley; San Luis Obispo County Beaches; San Luis Obispo County Inland Central Coast; Santa Lucia Mountains; Southern Salinas Valley; Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches; Santa Barbara County Inland Central Coast; Santa Ynez Valley; Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Ventura County Beaches; Ventura County Inland Coast; Lake Casitas; Ojai Valley; Central Ventura County Valleys; Los Angeles County Beaches; Palos Verdes Hills; Los Angeles County Inland Coast including Downtown Los Angeles; Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Western San Fernando Valley; Eastern San Fernando Valley; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Santa Susana Mountains; Antelope Valley; Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley

13. Wind Advisory for: Imperial County Southwest

14. Wind Advisory for: Joshua Tree NP West; Joshua Tree NP East; Chuckwalla Mountains; Chiriaco Summit; Chuckwalla Valley

15. Wind Advisory for: Northern Sacramento Valley; Central Sacramento Valley; Southern Sacramento Valley

16. Wind Advisory for: San Diego County Coastal Areas; San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire; San Diego County Inland Valleys; Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills; Orange County Coastal; Orange County Inland

17. Wind Advisory for: San Diego County Deserts

18. Wind Advisory for: West Side Mountains north of 198; West Side Mountains South of 198; Buena Vista; Indian Wells Valley; Mojave Desert Slopes; Mojave Desert

19. Winter Storm Warning for: Del Norte Interior; Northern Humboldt Interior; Southern Humboldt Interior

20. Winter Storm Warning for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

21. Winter Storm Warning for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area

22. Winter Storm Warning for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

23. Winter Storm Warning for: Mariposa-Madera Lower Sierra; Fresno-Tulare Lower Sierra; South End of the Lower Sierra; Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Yosemite Valley; San Joaquin River Canyon; Upper San Joaquin River; Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge; Kings Canyon NP; Grant Grove Area; Sequoia NP; South End of the Upper Sierra; Piute Walker Basin

24. Winter Storm Warning for: Mono

25. Winter Storm Warning for: Northern Trinity; Southern Trinity

26. Winter Storm Warning for: Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County; Burney Basin / Eastern Shasta County; Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western Colusa County; Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley; Motherlode; Western Plumas County/Lassen Park; West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

27. Winter Storm Warning for: South Central Siskiyou County; North Central and Southeast Siskiyou County

28. Winter Storm Warning for: Tehachapi; Frazier Mountain Communities

29. Winter Storm Warning for: Western Siskiyou County

30. Winter Storm Warning for: White Mountains of Inyo County

31. Winter Storm Watch for: Grapevine

32. Winter Storm Watch for: Northern Ventura County Mountains; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains

33. Winter Storm Watch for: Northwestern Mendocino Interior; Northeastern Mendocino Interior; Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County

34. Winter Storm Watch for: Riverside County Mountains

35. Winter Storm Watch for: San Bernardino County Mountains

36. Winter Storm Watch for: Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor

Want more detail? Get the Complete 7 Day and Night Detailed Forecast!

Current U.S. National Radar--Current

The Current National Weather Radar is shown below with a UTC Time (subtract 5 hours from UTC to get Eastern Time).

National Weather Forecast--Current

The Current National Weather Forecast and National Weather Map are shown below.

National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

Tomorrow National Weather Forecast and Tomorrow National Weather Map are show below.

North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

This map shows recent moisture content over North America. Bright and colored areas show high moisture (ie, clouds); brown indicates very little moisture present; black indicates no moisture.

Weather Topic: What are Mammatus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Mammatus Clouds

Mammatus Clouds Next Topic: Nimbostratus Clouds

A mammatus cloud is a cloud with a unique feature which resembles a web of pouches hanging along the base of the cloud.

In the United States, mammatus clouds tend to form in the warmer months, commonly in the Midwest and eastern regions.

While they usually form at the bottom of a cumulonimbis cloud, they can also form under altostratus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, and cirrus clouds. Mammatus clouds warn that severe weather is close.

Next Topic: Nimbostratus Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Precipitation

Next Topic: Rain

Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.

In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface. When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga. Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.

Next Topic: Rain