Lake Wildwood, CA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for Lake Wildwood, Nevada County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for Lake Wildwood What TALON shows

What weather hits Lake Wildwood?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 20 days in the Northern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Nevada County — the most common reported hazard around Lake Wildwood, mostly in December and February. Next come debris flows (7 days) and flash flooding (4 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	20	Apr 2026	Feb 8, 2017 · $3.6 million damage
Debris flows	7	Jun 2023	Jan 10, 2017 · $1.1 million damage
Flash flooding	4	Aug 2025	—
Lightning casualties & damage	3	Jul 2012	Jul 23, 2012 · 1 death
Damaging thunderstorm winds	2	Feb 2023	Feb 21, 2023 · $10,000 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 Nevada County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Lake Wildwood?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 29 miles northwest. 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 Lake Wildwood	View
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	29 mi northwest	1,800 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX Sacramento, CA	57 mi south-southwest	4,200 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KRGX Reno, NV	99 mi east-northeast	9,500 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 Lake Wildwood

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 10 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lake Wildwood. Most came in October and March. The strongest was an F1 on December 17, 1992, which passed about 11 miles northwest of town. The most recent was an EF0 on March 21, 2018, which touched down about 22 miles southwest of town.

Hail: 8 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.25-inch hail on May 5, 2016.

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 Lake Wildwood'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.

Lake Wildwood radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Lake Wildwood, CA?

KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 29 miles northwest. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 57 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Lake Wildwood flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 20 days in the Northern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Nevada 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 Lake Wildwood 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 Lake Wildwood, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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