El Capitan, AZ Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for El Capitan, Gila County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for El CapitanWhat TALON shows

What weather hits El Capitan?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 153 days in the Pinal/Superstition Mountains forecast zone and Gila County — the most common reported hazard around El Capitan, mostly in July and August. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (63 days) and flooding (20 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flash flooding153Nov 2025Jul 15, 2017 · 10 deaths
Damaging thunderstorm winds63Sep 2025Sep 1, 2019 · $100,000 damage
Flooding20Oct 2025Nov 29, 2019 · 3 deaths · $50,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage9Sep 2009Aug 12, 2000 · 1 death
Wildfires8Jun 2021Jun 4, 2021 · $8.0 million damage
Excessive heat4Jul 2023—
Heavy snow & winter storms3Mar 2023—
Debris flows2Jul 2021Jul 27, 2020 · $50,000 damage

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1996–2026 (the latest year is partial). A "day" is a date with at least one report in the Pinal/Superstition Mountains forecast zone and Gila County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover El Capitan?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KIWA (Phoenix, AZ), about 51 miles west. Radar beams climb as they travel, so the height of the lowest scan over town decides how low in a storm the radar can see.

RadarDistanceLowest beam over El CapitanView
KIWA
Phoenix, AZ		51 mi west3,700 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KEMX
Tucson, AZ		93 mi south8,700 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KFSX
Flagstaff, AZ		95 mi north-northwest8,900 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, with standard refraction. Mountains near a radar can block it further.

Tornado & hail history near El Capitan

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 4 tornadoes within 25 miles of El Capitan. Most came in July and August. The strongest was an F1 on August 9, 1966, which touched down about 11 miles north of town. The most recent was an F1 on July 14, 1996, which touched down about 8 miles north-northeast of town.

Hail: 14 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955, 1 of them 2 inches or more; the largest was 2.50-inch hail on October 2, 1984.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025. Distances are to each tornado's track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita scale.

On TALON you get El Capitan's live radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

El Capitan radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to El Capitan, AZ?

KIWA (Phoenix, AZ), about 51 miles west. KEMX (Tucson, AZ) is 93 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does El Capitan flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 153 days in the Pinal/Superstition Mountains forecast zone and Gila County; the deadliest was on July 15, 2017, with 10 deaths. TALON's free flash-flood risk layer shows, every 2 minutes, how close the rain that has fallen is to what it takes to flood — turn it on under Layers.

Is TALON's radar for El Capitan free?

Yes — the US radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and NWS warnings are free in any browser. Close-up radar, rotation detection and longer forecasts are part of TALON Pro.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a warning for El Capitan, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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