Challenge-Brownsville, CA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for Challenge-Brownsville, Yuba County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for Challenge-Brownsville What TALON shows

What weather hits Challenge-Brownsville?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 8 days in the Northern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Yuba County — the most common reported hazard around Challenge-Brownsville, mostly in January and February. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (4 days) and flash flooding (2 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	8	Feb 2025	Jan 1, 2006 · $4.9 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	4	Jan 2023	Sep 16, 2019 · $2.5 million damage
Flash flooding	2	Dec 2025	Jan 2, 1997 · 3 deaths
Wildfires	2	Oct 1999	Sep 27, 1997 · $15 million damage
Lightning casualties & damage	1	Nov 2009	Nov 27, 2009 · $2,000 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 Northern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Yuba County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Challenge-Brownsville?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 20 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.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Challenge-Brownsville	View
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	20 mi west	1,100 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX Sacramento, CA	70 mi south-southwest	5,700 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KRGX Reno, NV	98 mi east-northeast	9,300 ft	Fair — 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 Challenge-Brownsville

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 11 tornadoes within 25 miles of Challenge-Brownsville, 2 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in December and January. The strongest was an F2 on February 10, 1994, which touched down about 17 miles west-northwest of town. The most recent was an EF0 on November 18, 2020, which touched down about 20 miles northwest of town.

Hail: 5 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on May 30, 2020.

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 Challenge-Brownsville'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.

Challenge-Brownsville radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Challenge-Brownsville, CA?

KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 20 miles west. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 70 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Challenge-Brownsville flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 8 days in the Northern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Yuba County. 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 Challenge-Brownsville 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 Challenge-Brownsville, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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