Kettleman City, CA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for Kettleman City, Kings County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

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What weather hits Kettleman City?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 29 days in the West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties forecast zone and Kings County — the most common reported hazard around Kettleman City, mostly in January and March. Next come excessive heat (24 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (15 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	29	Apr 2024	Jan 2, 2006 · $1.1 million damage
Excessive heat	24	Aug 2025	—
Damaging thunderstorm winds	15	Mar 2023	Apr 7, 2001 · $3.8 million damage
Flash flooding	6	Jun 2019	—
Lightning casualties & damage	6	Sep 2017	Apr 28, 2005 · $425,000 damage
Debris flows	1	Oct 2018	—

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 West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties forecast zone and Kings County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Kettleman City?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA), about 28 miles northeast. 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 Kettleman City	View
KHNX San Joaquin Valley, CA	28 mi northeast	1,700 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KVBX Vandenberg AFB, CA	84 mi south-southwest	7,500 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KVTX Los Angeles, CA	119 mi south-southeast	12,500 ft	Limited — 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 Kettleman City

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 5 tornadoes within 25 miles of Kettleman City. Most came in November and October. The strongest was an F1 on November 22, 1996, which touched down about 22 miles north of town. The most recent was an EF0 on May 19, 2019, which touched down about 13 miles north of town.

Hail: 9 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955, 2 of them 2 inches or more; the largest was 2.50-inch hail on November 22, 1996.

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 Kettleman City'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.

Kettleman City radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Kettleman City, CA?

KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA), about 28 miles northeast. KVBX (Vandenberg AFB, CA) is 84 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Kettleman City flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 29 days in the West Side of Fresno and Kings Counties forecast zone and Kings 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 Kettleman City 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 Kettleman City, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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