Santa Margarita, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Santa MargaritaWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Santa Margarita?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 11 days in the Southern Salinas Valley forecast zone and San Luis Obispo County — the most common reported hazard around Santa Margarita, mostly in January and May. Next come flooding (10 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (9 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flash flooding11Oct 2025Jan 9, 2023 · 1 death
Flooding10Jan 2023—
Damaging thunderstorm winds9Feb 2026Sep 24, 2025 · $2,000 damage
Wildfires1Aug 2002Aug 17, 2002 · $290,000 damage
Debris flows1Feb 2024—

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 Southern Salinas Valley forecast zone and San Luis Obispo County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Santa Margarita?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KVBX (Vandenberg AFB, CA), about 40 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 MargaritaView
KVBX
Vandenberg AFB, CA		40 mi south-southeast2,600 ftExcellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		84 mi northeast7,400 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KVTX
Los Angeles, CA		105 mi southeast10,400 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 Margarita

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 4 tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Margarita. Most came in February and May. The strongest was an EF1 on February 7, 2024, which passed about 10 miles southwest 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 22, 2017.

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 Margarita'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 Margarita radar FAQ

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

KVBX (Vandenberg AFB, CA), about 40 miles south-southeast. KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA) is 84 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Santa Margarita flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 11 days in the Southern Salinas Valley forecast zone and San Luis Obispo County; the deadliest was on January 9, 2023, 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 Margarita 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 Margarita, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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