Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Okatie, SC Waco, TX Glendale, CA

1. Beach Hazards Statement for: Coastal Del Norte; Northern Humboldt Coast; Southwestern Humboldt; Mendocino Coast

2. Beach Hazards Statement for: San Francisco; Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore; San Francisco Peninsula Coast; Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast

3. Dense Fog Advisory for: Los Banos - Dos Palos; Merced - Madera - Mendota; Planada - Le Grand - Snelling; 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; Bakersfield; Southeast San Joaquin Valley

4. Wind Advisory for: Northern Sacramento Valley; Central Sacramento Valley; Southern Sacramento Valley

5. Winter Storm Watch for: Del Norte Interior; Northern Humboldt Interior; Southern Humboldt Interior

6. Winter Storm Watch for: Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

7. Winter Storm Watch for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area

8. Winter Storm Watch for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

9. Winter Storm Watch for: Mariposa-Madera Lower Sierra; Fresno-Tulare Lower Sierra; South End of the Lower Sierra; Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Yosemite Valley; San Joaquin River Canyon; Upper San Joaquin River; Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge; Kings Canyon NP; Grant Grove Area; Sequoia NP; South End of the Upper Sierra; Piute Walker Basin

10. Winter Storm Watch for: Mono

11. Winter Storm Watch for: Northern Trinity; Southern Trinity

12. Winter Storm Watch for: Northwestern Mendocino Interior; Northeastern Mendocino Interior; Northern Lake County; Southern Lake County

13. Winter Storm Watch for: Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County; Burney Basin / Eastern Shasta County; Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western Colusa County; Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley; Motherlode; Western Plumas County/Lassen Park; West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

14. Winter Storm Watch for: South Central Siskiyou County; North Central and Southeast Siskiyou County

15. Winter Storm Watch for: South Central Siskiyou County; North Central and Southeast Siskiyou County

16. Winter Storm Watch for: Western Siskiyou County

17. Winter Storm Watch for: Western Siskiyou County

18. Winter Storm Watch for: White Mountains of Inyo County

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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 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