Weather Alerts for California

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Current Alerts for Los Angeles, CA: High Surf Advisory

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

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

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

4. Wind Advisory 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

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

6. Wind Advisory for: San Bernardino County Mountains; Apple and Lucerne Valleys

7. 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

8. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. Winter Weather Advisory for: Mono

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

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Current U.S. National Radar--Current

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National Weather Forecast--Current

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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

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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