Pacifica, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Pacifica What TALON shows

What weather hits Pacifica?

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 Pacifica, mostly in December and February. Next come high winds (25 days) and flash flooding (14 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	41	Jan 2026	Jan 1, 2006 · $5.0 million damage
High winds	25	Jan 2026	Jan 18, 2010 · $230,000 damage
Flash flooding	14	Jan 2026	Feb 3, 1997 · 1 death
Damaging thunderstorm winds	12	Dec 2025	Oct 19, 2004 · $50,000 damage
Debris flows	11	Jan 2023	Apr 1, 2006 · $7.0 million damage
Excessive heat	4	Mar 2026	Sep 1, 2017 · 3 deaths
Coastal flooding	3	Dec 2020	Jan 5, 2008 · $5,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage	2	Aug 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 Pacifica?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 45 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.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Pacifica	View
KMUX San Francisco, CA	45 mi southeast	3,000 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KDAX Sacramento, CA	76 mi northeast	6,300 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	138 mi north-northeast	15,900 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 Pacifica

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 6 tornadoes within 25 miles of Pacifica. Most came in March and December. The strongest was an F1 on March 20, 2005, which passed about 4 miles northeast of town.

Hail: 1 report of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on March 4, 1996.

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 Pacifica'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.

Pacifica radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Pacifica, CA?

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 45 miles southeast. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 76 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Pacifica 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 Pacifica 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 Pacifica, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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