Novato, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Novato What TALON shows

What weather hits Novato?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 60 days in the North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Marin County — the most common reported hazard around Novato, mostly in January and February. Next come debris flows (19 days) and excessive heat (19 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	60	Dec 2025	Jan 1, 2006 · $108 million damage
Debris flows	19	Jan 2021	Apr 1, 2006 · 1 death · $34 million damage
Excessive heat	19	Mar 2026	Jul 21, 2006 · 1 death
Coastal flooding	16	Jan 2026	—
Flash flooding	15	Feb 2017	Dec 11, 2014 · $4.0 million damage
High winds	12	Mar 2023	Mar 19, 2011 · 1 death · $35,000 damage
Wildfires	6	Jun 2024	Jun 16, 2024 · $10 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	4	Dec 2025	—

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 North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Marin County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Novato?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 55 miles east-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 Novato	View
KDAX Sacramento, CA	55 mi east-northeast	4,100 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KMUX San Francisco, CA	73 mi south-southeast	6,100 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	109 mi north-northeast	11,000 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 Novato

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 4 tornadoes within 25 miles of Novato, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in December and June. The strongest was an F2 on June 1, 1958, which passed about 24 miles north-northwest of town. The most recent was an F0 on December 5, 1998, which touched down about 15 miles southeast of town.

Hail: 2 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.75-inch hail on August 19, 1983.

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 Novato'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.

Novato radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Novato, CA?

KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 55 miles east-northeast. KMUX (San Francisco, CA) is 73 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Novato flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 60 days in the North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Marin 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 Novato 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 Novato, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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