Sonora, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Sonora What TALON shows

What weather hits Sonora?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 10 days in the Southern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Tuolumne County — the most common reported hazard around Sonora, mostly in March and July. Next come flooding (9 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (6 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flash flooding	10	Mar 2023	Nov 22, 1996 · 1 death
Flooding	9	Mar 2023	Mar 4, 2023 · $42 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	6	Mar 2023	Mar 21, 2017 · $1.0 million damage
Debris flows	3	Sep 2017	Mar 6, 2014 · $50,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage	2	Jul 2013	Jul 1, 2013 · 1 death
Wildfires	1	Aug 1996	—

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 Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Tuolumne County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Sonora?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 79 miles west-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.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Sonora	View
KDAX Sacramento, CA	79 mi west-northwest	6,800 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KMUX San Francisco, CA	101 mi southwest	9,700 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KHNX San Joaquin Valley, CA	122 mi south-southeast	13,100 ft	Limited — 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 Sonora

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 2 tornadoes within 25 miles of Sonora. The strongest was an EF1 on March 11, 2023, which touched down about 9 miles west-southwest of town.

Hail: 3 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.25-inch hail on March 21, 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 Sonora'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.

Sonora radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Sonora, CA?

KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 79 miles west-northwest. KMUX (San Francisco, CA) is 101 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Sonora flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged flash flooding on 10 days in the Southern Motherlode Between 1000-3000 ft forecast zone and Tuolumne County; the deadliest was on November 22, 1996, 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 Sonora 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 Sonora, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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