Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Wixom, MI Jonesboro, GA June Lake, CA

1. Air Quality Alert for: Coachella Valley

2. Air Quality Alert for: Imperial County Southwest; Imperial County West; Imperial Valley

3. Fire Weather Watch for: Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range

4. Frost Advisory for: Northeastern Mendocino Interior

5. Frost Advisory for: Northern Lake County

6. Frost Advisory for: Southern Trinity

7. High Wind Warning for: Interstate 5 Corridor

8. High Wind Warning for: Mojave Desert Slopes

9. High Wind Warning for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range

10. High Wind Warning for: Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains

11. High Wind Warning for: Western Antelope Valley Foothills

12. Red Flag Warning for: Indian Wells Valley; Kern County Desert

13. Red Flag Warning 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; Eastern Delta; Northern San Joaquin Valley in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties Below 1000 ft - Excludes the Delta; Southeast Edge Shasta/Trinity NF and Western Portions of Tehama/Glenn RU; Eastern Mendocino NF

14. Red Flag Warning for: Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley

15. Red Flag Warning for: West Side Hills; San Joaquin Valley

16. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley

17. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County; Owens Valley; White Mountains of Inyo County; Death Valley National Park

18. Wind Advisory for: Imperial County Southwest

19. Wind Advisory for: Imperial County West

20. Wind Advisory for: Indian Wells Valley; Mojave Desert

21. Wind Advisory for: Interstate 5 Corridor

22. Wind Advisory for: Morongo Basin

23. Wind Advisory for: San Luis Obispo County Mountains

24. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Lake Casitas

25. Wind Advisory for: Santa Lucia Mountains; Southern Salinas Valley

26. Wind Advisory for: Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains

27. Wind Advisory for: Western Antelope Valley Foothills

28. Wind Advisory for: Western Mojave Desert

29. Wind Advisory for: Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor

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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

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 Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

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