Weather Alerts for California
1. Air Quality Alert for: Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning
2. Excessive Heat Watch for: Indian Wells Valley; Mojave Desert
3. Excessive Heat Watch for: Los Banos - Dos Palos; Merced - Madera - Mendota; Planada - Le Grand - Snelling; Coalinga - Avenal; West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties; Caruthers - San Joaquin - Selma; Fresno-Clovis; Buttonwillow - Lost Hills - I5; Delano-Wasco-Shafter; Hanford - Corcoran - Lemoore; Visalia - Porterville - Reedley; Buena Vista; Bakersfield; Southeast San Joaquin Valley; South End San Joaquin Valley; Mariposa Madera Foothills; Fresno-Tulare Foothills; South End Sierra Foothills
4. Excessive Heat Watch for: Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County
5. Excessive Heat Watch for: Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County; Northern Sacramento Valley; Central Sacramento Valley; Southern Sacramento Valley; Carquinez Strait and Delta; Northern San Joaquin Valley; Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western Colusa County; Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley; Motherlode
6. Wind Advisory for: Mojave Desert Slopes
7. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range
Want more detail? Get the Complete 7 Day and Night Detailed Forecast!
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 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
Weather Topic: What are Wall Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Wall Clouds
Next Topic: Altocumulus Clouds
A wall cloud forms underneath the base of a cumulonimbus cloud,
and can be a hotbed for deadly tornadoes.
Wall clouds are formed by air flowing into the cumulonimbus clouds, which can
result in the wall cloud descending from the base of the cumulonimbus cloud, or
rising fractus clouds which join to the base of the storm cloud as the wall cloud
takes shape.
Wall clouds can be very large, and in the Northern Hemisphere they generally
form at the southern edge of cumulonimbus clouds.
Next Topic: Altocumulus Clouds