Orinda, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Orinda What TALON shows

What weather hits Orinda?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 40 days in the East Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Contra Costa County — the most common reported hazard around Orinda, mostly in January and February. Next come excessive heat (19 days) and high winds (11 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	40	Jan 2026	Jan 1, 2006 · $22 million damage
Excessive heat	19	Mar 2026	Jun 27, 2009 · 1 death
High winds	11	Jan 2019	Jan 7, 2017 · 1 death
Debris flows	11	Feb 2019	Apr 6, 2006 · $11 million damage
Wildfires	8	May 2022	Aug 7, 2019 · $5,000 damage
Flash flooding	7	Feb 2000	Feb 13, 2000 · $100,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	2	Apr 2024	Apr 5, 2024 · $10 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 East Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Contra Costa County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Orinda?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 50 miles north-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 Orinda	View
KDAX Sacramento, CA	50 mi north-northeast	3,600 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KMUX San Francisco, CA	52 mi south-southeast	3,800 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	115 mi north-northeast	12,000 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 Orinda

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 8 tornadoes within 25 miles of Orinda. Most came in September and December. The strongest was an F1 on March 20, 2005, which passed about 21 miles southwest of town. The most recent was an EF1 on January 23, 2010, which touched down about 22 miles east 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 Orinda'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.

Orinda radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Orinda, CA?

KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 50 miles north-northeast. KMUX (San Francisco, CA) is 52 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Orinda flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 40 days in the East Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone and Contra Costa 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 Orinda 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 Orinda, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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