San Jose, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for San JoseWhat TALON shows

What weather hits San Jose?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 61 days in the Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose forecast zone and Santa Clara County — the most common reported hazard around San Jose, mostly in January and February. Next come excessive heat (16 days) and debris flows (14 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding61Jan 2026Dec 31, 2022 · 1 death
Excessive heat16Mar 2026Jul 7, 2024 · 8 deaths
Debris flows14Jan 2021—
Flash flooding13Feb 2017Jan 4, 2017 · $10,000 damage
High winds9Feb 2024Oct 27, 2009 · $500,000 damage
Extreme cold & wind chill7Dec 2025Dec 13, 2022 · 4 deaths
Damaging thunderstorm winds5Dec 2025Feb 4, 2024 · $10 damage
Wildfires3Jul 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 Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose forecast zone and Santa Clara County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover San Jose?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 11 miles south-southwest. 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 San JoseView
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		11 mi south-southwest600 ftExcellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		84 mi north7,300 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		139 mi east-southeast16,000 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 San Jose

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 12 tornadoes within 25 miles of San Jose, 2 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in December and January. The strongest was an F2 on May 5, 1998, which touched down about 13 miles west-northwest of town. The most recent was an EF1 on December 14, 2024, which touched down about 21 miles southwest of town.

Hail: 3 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.75-inch hail on April 1, 1965.

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 San Jose'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.

San Jose radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to San Jose, CA?

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 11 miles south-southwest. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 84 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does San Jose flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 61 days in the Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose forecast zone and Santa Clara County; the deadliest was on December 31, 2022, with 1 death. 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 San Jose 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 San Jose, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

Radar for nearby towns

All California towns →