Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Acton, CA

1. Air Quality Alert for: Riverside County Mountains; Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

2. Air Quality Alert for: San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire

3. Red Flag Warning for: Eastern Portion of Shasta/Trinity NF; Burney Basin and Northeast Plateau in Shasta County Including Northwest Lassen NF north of Lassen NP; Southeast Edge Shasta/Trinity NF and Western Portions of Tehama/Glenn RU; Northern Sierra Foothills from 1000 to 3000 Ft. Includes Nevada-Yuba-Placer RU and Anador-Eldorado RU; Northern Sierra Including Lassen NP and Plumas and Lassen NF/S West of the Sierra Crest - West of Evans Peak/Grizzly Peak/Beckworth Peak; Eastern Mendocino NF

4. Red Flag Warning for: Lower Middle Klamath; Hoopa; Van Duzen/Mad River; W Mendocino NF/E Mendocino Unit; Trinity

5. Red Flag Warning for: Lower Middle Klamath; Hoopa; Van Duzen/Mad River; W Mendocino NF/E Mendocino Unit; Trinity

6. Red Flag Warning for: Upper Smith

7. Red Flag Warning for: Western Klamath National Forest; Central Siskiyou County Including Shasta Valley; Siskiyou County from the Cascade Mountains East and South to Mt Shasta

8. Red Flag Warning for: Western Klamath National Forest; Central Siskiyou County Including Shasta Valley; Siskiyou County from the Cascade Mountains East and South to Mt Shasta

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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