Taft, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Taft What TALON shows

What weather hits 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 Taft, mostly in January and March. Next come flash flooding (72 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (38 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	120	Jan 2026	Jan 2, 2011 · $13 million damage
Flash flooding	72	Nov 2025	Sep 3, 1997 · $5.0 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	38	Mar 2024	Sep 23, 2011 · $100,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage	31	Jun 2022	Jul 18, 2015 · 1 death
Debris flows	29	Nov 2024	Dec 26, 2019 · $100,000 damage
Wildfires	25	Aug 2003	Jul 21, 2002 · $3.8 million damage
Excessive heat	23	Aug 2025	—
High winds	5	May 2002	May 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 Taft?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 51 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.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Taft	View
KVTX Los Angeles, CA	51 mi south-southeast	3,700 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KVBX Vandenberg AFB, CA	59 mi west-southwest	4,400 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KHNX San Joaquin Valley, CA	83 mi north	7,300 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 Taft

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 2 tornadoes within 25 miles of Taft. The strongest was an F1 on March 17, 1991, which touched down about 3 miles west of town. The most recent was an EF0 on February 27, 2010, which touched down about 15 miles northeast of town.

Hail: 3 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 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.

Taft radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Taft, CA?

KVTX (Los Angeles, CA), about 51 miles south-southeast. KVBX (Vandenberg AFB, CA) is 59 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does 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 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 Taft, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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