Weather Alerts for California
1. Air Quality Alert for: Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning
2. Air Quality Alert for: Imperial Valley
3. Excessive Heat Watch for: Indian Wells Valley; Mojave Desert
4. 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
5. Excessive Heat Watch for: Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County
6. 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
7. Wind Advisory for: Mojave Desert Slopes
8. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range
9. Wind Advisory for: Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley
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 Nimbostratus Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Nimbostratus Clouds
Next Topic: Precipitation
A nimbostratus cloud is similar to a stratus cloud in its formless,
smooth appearance. However, a nimbostratus cloud is darker than a stratus cloud,
because it is thicker.
Unlike a stratus cloud, a nimbostratus cloud typically brings with it the threat
of moderate to heavy precipitation. In some cases, the precipitation may evaporate
before reaching the ground, a phenomenon known as virga.
Next Topic: Precipitation
Weather Topic: What is Rain?
Home - Education - Precipitation - 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