Sierra City, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Sierra City What TALON shows

What weather hits Sierra City?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 3 days in the Sierra Nevada of Yuba-Sierra-Nevada-Placer Counties Between 3000-5000 ft Including Interstate 80 forecast zone and Sierra County — the most common reported hazard around Sierra City, mostly in March and December. Next come debris flows (3 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (1 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	3	Mar 2023	Feb 9, 2017 · $6.8 million damage
Debris flows	3	Oct 2021	Jan 11, 2017 · $1.6 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	1	Jul 2003	—
Lightning casualties & damage	1	Jul 2020	Jul 25, 2020 · 1 death

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 Sierra Nevada of Yuba-Sierra-Nevada-Placer Counties Between 3000-5000 ft Including Interstate 80 forecast zone and Sierra County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

How much snow does Sierra City get?

A normal year brings about 26 inches of snow to Sierra City, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Downieville weather station 10.5 miles away. The snowiest month is usually February (7.9 in).

Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
0.1	1.2	5.1	6.4	7.9	4.2	1.2	0.1

Normal snowfall in inches. TALON Pro compares this season's snow at your location with these normals as winter goes on.

Which radars cover Sierra City?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 54 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.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Sierra City	View
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	54 mi west	3,900 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KRGX Reno, NV	63 mi east-northeast	4,900 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KDAX Sacramento, CA	93 mi southwest	8,600 ft	Fair — 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 Sierra City

NOAA has no tornado on record within 25 miles of Sierra City since 1950.

Hail: 9 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on July 8, 2015.

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 Sierra City'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.

Sierra City radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Sierra City, CA?

KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 54 miles west. KRGX (Reno, NV) is 63 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Sierra City flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 3 days in the Sierra Nevada of Yuba-Sierra-Nevada-Placer Counties Between 3000-5000 ft Including Interstate 80 forecast zone and Sierra 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 Sierra City 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 Sierra City, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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