Santa Monica, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Santa MonicaWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Santa Monica?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 115 days in the Los Angeles County Beaches forecast zone and Los Angeles County — the most common reported hazard around Santa Monica, mostly in February and January. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (33 days) and wildfires (15 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flash flooding115Feb 2026Feb 23, 1998 · 3 deaths
Damaging thunderstorm winds33Feb 2026Mar 31, 2024 · $5,000 damage
Wildfires15Oct 2003Sep 22, 2002 · $15 million damage
Flooding14Feb 2026—
Debris flows12Feb 2026—
Lightning casualties & damage9Jun 2022Jun 22, 2022 · 1 death
High winds2Jan 2025—
Storm surge1Jan 1997—

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 Los Angeles County Beaches forecast zone and Los Angeles County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Santa Monica?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 48 miles northwest. 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 MonicaView
KVTX
Los Angeles, CA		48 mi northwest3,300 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KSOX
Santa Ana Mountains, CA		51 mi east-southeast3,700 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KEYX
Edwards AFB, CA		92 mi northeast8,500 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation

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 Monica

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 33 tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Monica, 5 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in November and March. The strongest was an F2 on March 1, 1983, which passed about 8 miles east-southeast of town. The most recent was an EF0 on March 13, 2025, which touched down about 24 miles east of town.

Hail: 10 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.50-inch hail on January 21, 2010.

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 Monica'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 Monica radar FAQ

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

KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 48 miles northwest. KSOX (Santa Ana Mountains, CA) is 51 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Santa Monica flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 115 days in the Los Angeles County Beaches forecast zone and Los Angeles County; the deadliest was on February 23, 1998, with 3 deaths. 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 Monica 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 Monica, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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