South Taft, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for South TaftWhat TALON shows

What weather hits South Taft?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 120 days in the Buena Vista forecast zone and Kern County — the most common reported hazard around South Taft, mostly in January and March. Next come flash flooding (72 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (38 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding120Jan 2026Jan 2, 2011 · $13 million damage
Flash flooding72Nov 2025Sep 3, 1997 · $5.0 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds38Mar 2024Sep 23, 2011 · $100,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage31Jun 2022Jul 18, 2015 · 1 death
Debris flows29Nov 2024Dec 26, 2019 · $100,000 damage
Wildfires25Aug 2003Jul 21, 2002 · $3.8 million damage
Excessive heat23Aug 2025—
High winds5May 2002May 20, 2002 · $25,000 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 Buena Vista forecast zone and Kern County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover South Taft?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 52 miles south-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 TaftView
KVTX
Los Angeles, CA		52 mi south-southeast3,800 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KVBX
Vandenberg AFB, CA		57 mi west-southwest4,200 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KHNX
San Joaquin Valley, CA		82 mi north7,200 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 South Taft

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 2 tornadoes within 25 miles of South Taft. The strongest was an F1 on March 17, 1991, which touched down near town. The most recent was an EF0 on February 27, 2010, which touched down about 16 miles northeast of town.

Hail: 2 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on May 25, 2019.

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 Taft'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 Taft radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to South Taft, CA?

KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 52 miles south-southeast. KVBX (Vandenberg AFB, CA) is 57 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does South Taft flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 120 days in the Buena Vista forecast zone and Kern 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 Taft 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 Taft, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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