Thermalito, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Thermalito What TALON shows

What weather hits Thermalito?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 44 days in the Butte County Below 1000 ft forecast zone and Butte County — the most common reported hazard around Thermalito, mostly in February and January. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (8 days) and flash flooding (7 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	44	Feb 2026	Feb 12, 2017 · $549 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	8	Feb 2023	Sep 18, 2019 · $4.0 million damage
Flash flooding	7	Nov 2020	Feb 9, 2014 · $700,000 damage
Debris flows	5	Sep 2019	Jan 9, 2017 · $4.3 million damage
Wildfires	4	Sep 2000	Sep 18, 2000 · $1.9 million damage
Lightning casualties & damage	4	Jan 2019	Jun 5, 2007 · $80,000 damage
Excessive heat	1	Jun 2026	—

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 Butte County Below 1000 ft forecast zone and Butte County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Thermalito?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 2 miles west-southwest. 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 Thermalito	View
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	2 mi west-southwest	100 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KDAX Sacramento, CA	70 mi south	5,600 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KRGX Reno, NV	115 mi east	11,900 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 Thermalito

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 22 tornadoes within 25 miles of Thermalito, 2 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in May and March. The strongest was an F2 on February 10, 1994, which touched down about 2 miles east-northeast of town. The most recent was an EF1 on December 19, 2023, which touched down about 24 miles north-northwest of town.

Hail: 8 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on March 6, 2023.

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 Thermalito'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.

Thermalito radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Thermalito, CA?

KBBX (Beale AFB, CA), about 2 miles west-southwest. KDAX (Sacramento, CA) is 70 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Thermalito flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 44 days in the Butte County Below 1000 ft forecast zone and Butte 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 Thermalito 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 Thermalito, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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