Santa Nella, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Santa NellaWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Santa Nella?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 56 days in the Los Banos - Dos Palos forecast zone and Merced County — the most common reported hazard around Santa Nella, mostly in January and March. Next come excessive heat (21 days) and lightning casualties & damage (8 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding56Mar 2025Jan 9, 2023 · $10 million damage
Excessive heat21Aug 2025—
Lightning casualties & damage8May 2016May 5, 2016 · $1.0 million damage
Flash flooding5Feb 2025Mar 25, 1998 · $11 million damage
Wildfires4Jun 2003Jun 2, 2003 · $15,000 damage
Debris flows4Feb 2024—
High winds3Feb 2024Feb 4, 2024 · $20,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds2Oct 2007Apr 1, 1996 · $330,000 damage

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 Banos - Dos Palos forecast zone and Merced County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Santa Nella?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 49 miles west. 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 NellaView
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		49 mi west3,400 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		94 mi southeast8,700 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		103 mi north-northwest10,100 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 Nella

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 8 tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Nella. Most came in April and February. The strongest was an F1 on March 4, 1978, which touched down about 24 miles north-northeast of town. The most recent was an EF0 on January 6, 2016, which touched down about 23 miles west-southwest 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 Nella'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 Nella radar FAQ

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

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 49 miles west. KHNX (San Joaquin Valley, CA) is 94 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Santa Nella flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 56 days in the Los Banos - Dos Palos forecast zone and Merced 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 Santa Nella 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 Nella, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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