Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Hallowell, ME Henning, IL Santa Maria, CA

Current Alerts for Santa Maria, CA: High Wind Warning Wind Advisory

1. Air Quality Alert for: San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire; Riverside County Mountains; Coachella Valley; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

2. Frost Advisory for: Northwestern Mendocino Interior; Northeastern Mendocino Interior; Northern Lake County

3. High Wind Warning for: Malibu Coast; Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area

4. High Wind Warning for: Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor

5. High Wind Warning for: Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains

6. Lake Wind Advisory for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area

7. Wind Advisory for: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; Los Angeles County Beaches; Palos Verdes Hills

8. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

9. Wind Advisory for: Joshua Tree NP West; Joshua Tree NP East; Chuckwalla Mountains; Chiriaco Summit; Palo Verde Valley; Chuckwalla Valley

10. Wind Advisory for: Mono

11. Wind Advisory for: Owens Valley; White Mountains of Inyo County; Death Valley National Park; Morongo Basin; Lincoln County; Western Clark and Southern Nye County

12. Wind Advisory for: Piute Walker Basin; Tehachapi; Mojave Desert Slopes

13. Wind Advisory for: Riverside County Mountains; San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning

14. Wind Advisory for: San Bernardino County Mountains; Apple and Lucerne Valleys

15. Wind Advisory for: San Diego County Mountains; San Diego County Deserts

16. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches; Santa Barbara County Inland Central Coast

17. Wind Advisory for: Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast; Lake Casitas; Ojai Valley

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

19. Wind Advisory for: Santa Clarita Valley; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Western San Fernando Valley; Eastern San Fernando Valley; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Santa Susana Mountains

20. Wind Advisory for: Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley

21. Wind Advisory for: Western Mojave Desert

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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

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 Cirrostratus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Cirrostratus Clouds

Next Topic: Cirrus Clouds

Cirrostratus clouds are high, thin clouds that form above 20,000 feet and are made mostly of ice crystals. They sometimes look like giant feathers, horse tails, or curls of hair in the sky. These clouds are pushed by the jet stream and can move at high speeds reaching 100 mph.

What do they indicate?
They indicate that a precipitation is likely within 24 hours.

Next Topic: Cirrus Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Condensation?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Condensation

Next Topic: Contrails

Condensation is the process which creates clouds, and therefore it is a crucial process in the water cycle. Condensation is the change of matter from a state of gas into a state of liquid, and it happens because water molecules release heat into the atmosphere and become organized into a more closely packed structure, what we might see as water droplets.

Water is always present in the air around us as a vapor, but it's too small for us to see. When water undergoes the process of condensation it becomes organized into visible water droplets. You've probably seen condensation happen before on the surface of a cold drink!

Next Topic: Contrails