South San Francisco, CA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for South San Francisco, San Mateo County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for South San FranciscoWhat TALON shows

What weather hits South San Francisco?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 41 days in the San Francisco Bay Shoreline forecast zone and San Mateo County — the most common reported hazard around South San Francisco, mostly in December and February. Next come high winds (26 days) and flash flooding (14 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding41Jan 2026Jan 1, 2006 · $5.0 million damage
High winds26Jan 2026Oct 13, 2009 · $2.5 million damage
Flash flooding14Jan 2026Feb 3, 1997 · 1 death
Debris flows13Jan 2023Jan 21, 2012 · $75,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds12Dec 2025Oct 19, 2004 · $50,000 damage
Excessive heat10Mar 2026May 17, 2009 · $10,000 damage
Coastal flooding4Jan 2026—
Lightning casualties & damage2Aug 2020—

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 San Francisco Bay Shoreline forecast zone and San Mateo County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover South San Francisco?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 43 miles 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 South San FranciscoView
KMUX
San Francisco, CA		43 mi southeast2,900 ftExcellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX
Sacramento, CA		70 mi north-northeast5,600 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KBBX
Beale AFB, CA		133 mi north-northeast15,000 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 South San Francisco

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 8 tornadoes within 25 miles of South San Francisco, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in March and December. The strongest was an F2 on January 11, 1951, which passed about 24 miles southeast of town. The most recent was an F1 on March 20, 2005, which passed about 2 miles west 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 4, 1996.

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 South San Francisco'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.

South San Francisco radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to South San Francisco, CA?

KMUX (San Francisco, CA), about 43 miles southeast. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 70 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does South San Francisco flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 41 days in the San Francisco Bay Shoreline forecast zone and San Mateo 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 South San Francisco 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 South San Francisco, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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