Weather Alerts for California
1. Air Quality Alert for: Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning
2. Excessive Heat Warning for: Coachella Valley; San Diego County Deserts
3. Excessive Heat Warning for: Imperial County Southwest; Salton Sea; Imperial County West; Imperial Valley; Chuckwalla Valley
4. Excessive Heat Warning for: San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning
5. Fire Weather Watch for: Lake County Portion of Lake-Napa-Sonoma Unit
6. Fire Weather Watch for: Northern Sacramento Valley to Southern Tehama County Line Below 1000 Ft; Central Sacramento Valley including Glenn/Colusa/Yuba/Northern Sutter/Butte County Below 1000 Ft; Southern Sacramento Valley In Yolo/Sacramento/Far Western Placer/Southern Sutter and Solano County Below 1000 Ft - Excludes the Delta; 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; Eastern Mendocino NF
7. Heat Advisory for: San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire
8. High Wind Warning for: Mojave Desert Slopes
9. High Wind Watch for: Mojave Desert Slopes
10. High Wind Watch for: Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western Antelope Valley Foothills
11. High Wind Watch for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains
12. Lake Wind Advisory for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area
13. Lake Wind Advisory for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties
14. Wind Advisory for: Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western Antelope Valley Foothills
15. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains
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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 Sleet?
Home - Education - Precipitation - 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
Weather Topic: What are Stratocumulus Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Stratocumulus Clouds
Next Topic: Stratus Clouds
Stratocumulus clouds are similar to altocumulus clouds in their
fluffy appearance, but have a slightly darker shade due to their additional mass.
A good way to distinguish the two cloud types is to hold your hand out and measure
the size of an individual cloud; if it is the size of your thumb it is generally
an altocumulus cloud, if it is the size of your hand it is generally a
stratocumulus cloud.
It is uncommon for stratocumulus clouds to produce precipitation, but if they do
it is usually a light rain or snow.
Next Topic: Stratus Clouds