Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Sparta, VA Copper Center, AK Corcoran, CA

1. Air Quality Alert for: Imperial County Southwest; Chuckwalla Mountains; Imperial County Southeast; Imperial County West; Imperial Valley; Palo Verde Valley

2. Freeze Warning for: Del Norte Interior; Northern Humboldt Interior; Southern Humboldt Interior; Northern Trinity; Southern Trinity; Northwestern Mendocino Interior; Northeastern Mendocino Interior; Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County

3. Freeze Warning for: Del Norte Interior; Northern Humboldt Interior; Southern Humboldt Interior; Northern Trinity; Southern Trinity; Northwestern Mendocino Interior; Northeastern Mendocino Interior; Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County

4. Freeze Warning for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

5. Freeze Warning for: Southeastern Mendocino Interior

6. Freeze Warning for: Surprise Valley California; Northern Washoe County

7. Freeze Warning for: Western Siskiyou County; Eastern Curry County and Josephine County; Jackson County

8. Frost Advisory for: Coastal Del Norte; Northern Humboldt Coast; Southwestern Humboldt; Mendocino Coast

9. Frost Advisory for: Coastal Del Norte; Northern Humboldt Coast; Southwestern Humboldt; Mendocino Coast

10. Frost Advisory for: Southwestern Mendocino Interior

11. Frost Advisory for: Southwestern Mendocino Interior

12. Frost Advisory for: Western Siskiyou County; Eastern Curry County and Josephine County; Jackson County

13. Wind Advisory for: Apple and Lucerne Valleys

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

15. Wind Advisory for: Interstate 5 Corridor; Western Antelope Valley Foothills

16. Wind Advisory for: Mojave Desert Slopes

17. Wind Advisory for: Northern Sacramento Valley; Central Sacramento Valley; Southern Sacramento Valley; Carquinez Strait and Delta

18. Wind Advisory for: San Luis Obispo County Beaches; Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches

19. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast; Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range

20. Wind Advisory for: Santa Lucia Mountains

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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

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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 Snow?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Snow

Snow Next Topic: Stratocumulus Clouds

Snow is precipitation taking the form of ice crystals. Each ice crystal, or snowflake, has unique characteristics, but all of them grow in a hexagonal structure. Snowfall can last for sustained periods of time and result in significant buildup of snow on the ground.

On the earth's surface, snow starts out light and powdery, but as it begins to melt it tends to become more granular, producing small bits of ice which have the consistency of sand. After several cycles of melting and freezing, snow can become very dense and ice-like, commonly known as snow pack.

Next Topic: Stratocumulus Clouds

Weather Topic: What are Stratus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Stratus Clouds

Next Topic: Wall Clouds

Stratus clouds are similar to altostratus clouds, but form at a lower altitude and are identified by their fog-like appearance, lacking the distinguishing features of most clouds.

Stratus clouds are wider than most clouds, and their base has a smooth, uniform look which is lighter in color than a nimbostratus cloud. The presence of a stratus cloud indicates the possibility of minor precipitation, such as drizzle, but heavier precipitation does not typically arrive in the form of a stratus cloud.

Next Topic: Wall Clouds