El Portal, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for El PortalWhat TALON shows

What weather hits El Portal?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 56 days in the Mariposa Madera Foothills forecast zone and Mariposa County — the most common reported hazard around El Portal, mostly in January and February. Next come wildfires (20 days) and excessive heat (17 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding56Mar 2025Jun 16, 1998 · $100,000 damage
Wildfires20Jul 2004Jul 24, 2001 · $5.0 million damage
Excessive heat17Oct 2024—
Debris flows17Feb 2025Dec 27, 2022 · 2 deaths
Damaging thunderstorm winds12Jul 2024Jan 21, 2012 · 1 death · $5,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage9Sep 2023Sep 13, 2011 · $100,000 damage
Flash flooding7Oct 2021Mar 22, 2018 · 2 deaths · $2.0 million damage
High winds2Jan 2023—

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 Mariposa Madera Foothills forecast zone and Mariposa County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover El Portal?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA), about 94 miles south. 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 PortalView
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		94 mi south8,800 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		118 mi west-northwest12,300 ftLimited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		121 mi west-southwest12,900 ftLimited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

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 Portal

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 2 tornadoes within 25 miles of El Portal. The strongest was an EF0 on February 2, 2019, which touched down about 23 miles south-southwest of town.

Hail: 4 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.25-inch hail on October 4, 2010.

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 Portal'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 Portal radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to El Portal, CA?

KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA), about 94 miles south. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 118 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does El Portal flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 56 days in the Mariposa Madera Foothills forecast zone and Mariposa 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 El Portal 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 Portal, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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