Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Wilmington, NC Big Sky, MT Fresno, CA

1. Air Quality Alert for: San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire

2. Red Flag Warning for: Eastern Portion of Shasta/Trinity NF; Burney Basin and Northeast Plateau in Shasta County Including Northwest Lassen NF north of Lassen NP; 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; Northern Sierra Including Lassen NP and Plumas and Lassen NF/S West of the Sierra Crest - West of Evans Peak/Grizzly Peak/Beckworth Peak; Eastern Mendocino NF

3. Red Flag Warning for: Lower Middle Klamath; Hoopa; Van Duzen/Mad River; W Mendocino NF/E Mendocino Unit; Trinity

4. Red Flag Warning for: Lower Middle Klamath; Hoopa; Van Duzen/Mad River; W Mendocino NF/E Mendocino Unit; Trinity

5. Red Flag Warning for: Upper Smith

6. Red Flag Warning for: Western Klamath National Forest; Central Siskiyou County Including Shasta Valley; Siskiyou County from the Cascade Mountains East and South to Mt Shasta

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 Cirrus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Cirrus Clouds

Next Topic: Condensation

Cirrus clouds are high-level clouds that occur above 20,000 feet and are composed mainly of ice crystals. They are thin and wispy in appearance.

What do they indicate?
They are often the first sign of an approaching storm.

Next Topic: Condensation

Weather Topic: What are Contrails?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Contrails

Next Topic: Cumulonimbus Clouds

A contrail is an artificial cloud, created by the passing of an aircraft.

Contrails form because water vapor in the exhaust of aircraft engines is suspended in the air under certain temperatures and humidity conditions. These contrails are called exhaust contrails.

Another type of contrail can form due to a temporary reduction in air pressure moving over the plane's surface, causing condensation. These are called aerodynamic contrails.

When you can see your breath on a cold day, it is also because of condensation. The reason contrails last longer than the condensation from your breath is because the water in contrails freezes into ice particles.

Next Topic: Cumulonimbus Clouds