Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Bethesda, OH Barnesville, MD Campo, CA

1. Extreme Heat Warning for: Coalinga - Avenal; Fresno-Clovis; West Side Mountains South of 198; Buena Vista; Bakersfield; South End San Joaquin Valley; Fresno-Tulare Foothills; South End Sierra Foothills

2. Extreme Heat Warning for: Cuyama Valley; Santa Clarita Valley; Santa Lucia Mountains; Southern Salinas Valley; San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys; San Luis Obispo County Mountains; Santa Ynez Valley; Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains; Western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area; Calabasas and Agoura Hills; Western San Fernando Valley; Eastern San Fernando Valley; Southeastern Ventura County Valleys; Santa Susana Mountains; Southern Ventura County Mountains; Northern Ventura County Mountains; Interstate 5 Corridor; Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains; Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley; Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley

3. Extreme Heat Warning for: Santa Ynez Mountains Western Range; Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range; Los Angeles County Inland Coast including Downtown Los Angeles; Eastern Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area

4. Extreme Heat Warning for: Western Siskiyou County; Central Siskiyou County

5. Flood Advisory for: Kern, CA

6. Flood Advisory for: Kern, CA

7. Flood Advisory for: Los Angeles, CA

8. Flood Advisory for: Mariposa, CA

9. Flood Advisory for: Mariposa, CA; Tuolumne, CA

10. Flood Advisory for: Tulare, CA

11. Flood Advisory for: Tulare, CA

12. Flood Advisory for: Tulare, CA

13. Flood Watch for: Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area; Northern Washoe County

14. Flood Watch for: Mono; Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties

15. Flood Watch for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Upper San Joaquin River; Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge; Kings Canyon NP

16. Heat Advisory for: Lake Casitas; Ojai Valley; Central Ventura County Valleys

17. Heat Advisory for: West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties; Caruthers - San Joaquin - Selma; Buttonwillow - Lost Hills - I5; Delano-Wasco-Shafter; Hanford - Corcoran - Lemoore; Visalia - Porterville - Reedley; Southeast San Joaquin Valley; Kern River Valley

18. Red Flag Warning for: Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Siskiyou County; Umpqua National Forest; Western Rogue Basin including the Illinois Valley; Eastern Rogue Valley

19. Red Flag Warning for: Trinity

20. 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; Modoc County Except for the Surprise Valley; Siskiyou Mountains; Southern Oregon Cascades; Klamath Basin and the Fremont-Winema National Forest; South Central Oregon Desert including the BLM Land in Eastern Lake and Western Harney Counties

21. 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; Modoc County Except for the Surprise Valley; Siskiyou Mountains; Southern Oregon Cascades; Klamath Basin and the Fremont-Winema National Forest; South Central Oregon Desert including the BLM Land in Eastern Lake and Western Harney Counties

22. Severe Thunderstorm Warning for: Plumas, CA

23. Special Weather Statement for: Buttonwillow - Lost Hills - I5; Buena Vista; Bakersfield; South End San Joaquin Valley; Frazier Mountain Communities

24. Special Weather Statement for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

25. Special Weather Statement for: Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties

26. Special Weather Statement for: Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor; Eastern San Gabriel Mountains; Western Antelope Valley Foothills; Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills; Antelope Valley

27. Special Weather Statement for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley

28. Special Weather Statement for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley

29. Special Weather Statement for: Yosemite NP outside of the valley; Upper San Joaquin River

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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

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North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

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Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

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