Santa Clara, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Santa ClaraWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Santa Clara?

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 Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 15 miles south-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.

RadarDistanceLowest beam over Santa ClaraView
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		15 mi south-southeast800 ftExcellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		80 mi north-northeast6,900 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		148 mi east-southeast17,800 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 Santa Clara

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 9 tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Clara, 2 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in January and December. The strongest was an F2 on May 5, 1998, which touched down about 3 miles west of town. The most recent was an EF1 on December 14, 2024, which touched down about 22 miles south of town.

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 Santa Clara'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.

Santa Clara radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Santa Clara, CA?

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 15 miles south-southeast. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 80 miles away and also covers the area.

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

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