Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Huntington Beach, CA Chengdu, Elk Grove, CA

1. Flood Advisory for: Los Angeles, CA; Ventura, CA

2. Flood Advisory for: Los Angeles, CA; Ventura, CA

3. Flood Advisory for: Santa Barbara, CA

4. Flood Advisory for: Santa Barbara, CA; Ventura, CA

5. High Surf Advisory for: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; Ventura County Beaches; Malibu Coast; Los Angeles County Beaches

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

7. High Surf Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast

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

9. High Wind Warning for: Grapevine

10. High Wind Warning for: San Bernardino County Mountains; Apple and Lucerne Valleys

11. Wind Advisory for: Owens Valley; Esmeralda and Central Nye County

12. Wind Advisory for: 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

13. 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; Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Santa Susana Mountains

14. Wind Advisory for: Southern Salinas Valley/Arroyo Seco and Lake San Antonio; Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest; Mountains Of San Benito County And Interior Monterey County Including Pinnacles National Park; Northern Salinas Valley/Hollister Valley and Carmel Valley; Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast

15. Wind Advisory for: West Side Mountains north of 198; West Side Mountains South of 198; Buena Vista; Tehachapi; Frazier Mountain Communities; Mojave Desert Slopes

16. Winter Storm Warning for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Upper San Joaquin River; Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge

17. Winter Weather Advisory for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

18. Winter Weather Advisory for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area

19. Winter Weather Advisory for: Kings Canyon NP; Grant Grove Area; Sequoia NP; South End of the Upper Sierra

20. Winter Weather Advisory for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

21. Winter Weather Advisory for: Mono

22. Winter Weather Advisory for: Western Plumas County/Lassen Park; West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

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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

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 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

Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Shelf Clouds

Shelf Clouds Next Topic: Sleet

A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.

A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen. As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it, because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud, it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.

Next Topic: Sleet