Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Granby, VT Uniondale, IN Granite Bay, CA

1. Air Quality Alert for: San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire; Riverside County Mountains; Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills; Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning; Orange County Inland

2. High Wind Warning for: Santa Susana Mountains; Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains

3. Wind Advisory for: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; Los Angeles County Beaches; Palos Verdes Hills; Los Angeles County Inland Coast including Downtown Los Angeles; Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley

4. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Interstate 5 Corridor

5. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

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

7. Wind Advisory for: Owens Valley; White Mountains of Inyo County; Death Valley National Park; Morongo Basin; Lincoln County; Western Clark and Southern Nye County

8. Wind Advisory for: Piute Walker Basin; Tehachapi; Indian Wells Valley; Mojave Desert Slopes; Mojave Desert

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

10. Wind Advisory for: San Diego County Inland Valleys; Riverside County Mountains; San Diego County Mountains; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

11. Wind Advisory for: Santa Clarita Valley; Ventura County Beaches; Ventura County Inland Coast; Central Ventura County Valleys; Malibu Coast; Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Western San Fernando Valley; Eastern San Fernando Valley; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains

12. Wind Advisory for: Santa Susana Mountains; Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains

13. Wind Advisory for: Western Antelope Valley Foothills

14. Wind Advisory for: Western Mojave Desert

15. Wind Advisory for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Upper San Joaquin River; Kings Canyon NP; Sequoia NP; South End of the Upper Sierra

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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

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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 is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow