Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: San Francisco, CA

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

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 Condensation?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Condensation

Next Topic: Contrails

Condensation is the process which creates clouds, and therefore it is a crucial process in the water cycle. Condensation is the change of matter from a state of gas into a state of liquid, and it happens because water molecules release heat into the atmosphere and become organized into a more closely packed structure, what we might see as water droplets.

Water is always present in the air around us as a vapor, but it's too small for us to see. When water undergoes the process of condensation it becomes organized into visible water droplets. You've probably seen condensation happen before on the surface of a cold drink!

Next Topic: Contrails

Weather Topic: What are Cumulonimbus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Cumulonimbus Clouds

Cumulonimbus Clouds Next Topic: Cumulus Clouds

The final form taken by a growing cumulus cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud, which is very tall and dense. The tower of a cumulonimbus cloud can soar 23 km into the atmosphere, although most commonly they stop growing at an altitude of 6 km.

Even small cumulonimbus clouds appear very large in comparison to other cloud types. They can signal the approach of stormy weather, such as thunderstorms or blizzards.

Next Topic: Cumulus Clouds