Weather Alerts for California

Recent Locations: Wolf Island, MO Spring Valley, CA Crockett, CA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. Wind Advisory for: Mono

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20. 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

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

22. 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 Cirrus Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Cirrus Clouds

Next Topic: Condensation

Cirrus clouds are high-level clouds that occur above 20,000 feet and are composed mainly of ice crystals. They are thin and wispy in appearance.

What do they indicate?
They are often the first sign of an approaching storm.

Next Topic: Condensation

Weather Topic: What are Contrails?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Contrails

Next Topic: Cumulonimbus Clouds

A contrail is an artificial cloud, created by the passing of an aircraft.

Contrails form because water vapor in the exhaust of aircraft engines is suspended in the air under certain temperatures and humidity conditions. These contrails are called exhaust contrails.

Another type of contrail can form due to a temporary reduction in air pressure moving over the plane's surface, causing condensation. These are called aerodynamic contrails.

When you can see your breath on a cold day, it is also because of condensation. The reason contrails last longer than the condensation from your breath is because the water in contrails freezes into ice particles.

Next Topic: Cumulonimbus Clouds