Montara, CA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for Montara, San Mateo County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for MontaraWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Montara?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 41 days in the San Francisco Peninsula Coast forecast zone and San Mateo County — the most common reported hazard around Montara, mostly in December and February. Next come high winds (25 days) and flash flooding (14 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding41Jan 2026Jan 1, 2006 · $5.0 million damage
High winds25Jan 2026Jan 18, 2010 · $230,000 damage
Flash flooding14Jan 2026Feb 3, 1997 · 1 death
Damaging thunderstorm winds12Dec 2025Oct 19, 2004 · $50,000 damage
Debris flows11Jan 2023Apr 1, 2006 · $7.0 million damage
Excessive heat4Mar 2026Sep 1, 2017 · 3 deaths
Coastal flooding3Dec 2020Jan 5, 2008 · $5,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage2Aug 2020—

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 San Francisco Peninsula Coast forecast zone and San Mateo County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Montara?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 42 miles southeast. 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 MontaraView
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		42 mi southeast2,900 ftExcellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		79 mi north-northeast6,800 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KBBX
Beale AFB, CA		142 mi north-northeast16,700 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 Montara

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 7 tornadoes within 25 miles of Montara, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in March and January. The strongest was an F2 on January 11, 1951, which passed about 24 miles east-southeast of town. The most recent was an F1 on March 20, 2005, which passed about 8 miles north-northeast of town.

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 Montara'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.

Montara radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Montara, CA?

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 42 miles southeast. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 79 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Montara flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 41 days in the San Francisco Peninsula Coast forecast zone and San Mateo 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 Montara 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 Montara, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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