Orange, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Orange What TALON shows

What weather hits Orange?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 64 days in the Orange County Inland forecast zone and Orange County — the most common reported hazard around Orange, mostly in February and March. Next come excessive heat (42 days) and flash flooding (41 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	64	Feb 2026	Dec 19, 2010 · $36 million damage
Excessive heat	42	Mar 2026	Jul 8, 2020 · 1 death
Flash flooding	41	Nov 2025	Feb 23, 1998 · 2 deaths · $30 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	24	Feb 2026	Dec 6, 1998 · $450,000 damage
Wildfires	21	Nov 2024	Oct 9, 2017 · $25 million damage
High winds	13	Jan 2025	Oct 15, 2018 · 1 death
Debris flows	10	Mar 2023	Mar 10, 2021 · $50,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage	4	Mar 2016	Mar 3, 2000 · $50,000 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 Orange County Inland forecast zone and Orange County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Orange?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KSOX (Santa Ana Mountains, CA), about 13 miles east. 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 Orange	View
KSOX Santa Ana Mountains, CA	13 mi east	700 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KNKX San Diego, CA	76 mi southeast	6,400 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KVTX Los Angeles, CA	87 mi west-northwest	7,800 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 Orange

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 49 tornadoes within 25 miles of Orange, 3 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in January and February. The strongest was an F2 on November 7, 1966, which passed about 19 miles west-northwest of town. The most recent was an EF0 on March 13, 2025, which touched down about 19 miles northwest of town.

Hail: 12 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955, 1 of them 2 inches or more; the largest was 2.00-inch hail on January 31, 1979.

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 Orange'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.

Orange radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Orange, CA?

KSOX (Santa Ana Mountains, CA), about 13 miles east. KNKX (San Diego, CA) is 76 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Orange flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 64 days in the Orange County Inland forecast zone and Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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