Thornton, CA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Thornton What TALON shows

What weather hits Thornton?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 31 days in the Central San Joaquin County Including Stockton Metro forecast zone and San Joaquin County — the most common reported hazard around Thornton, mostly in January and February. Next come flash flooding (4 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (3 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	31	Apr 2026	Jan 1, 2023 · $107 million damage
Flash flooding	4	May 2019	May 5, 1998 · $1.6 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	3	Jan 2023	Apr 1, 1996 · $1.0 million damage
Lightning casualties & damage	2	Sep 2009	—

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 Central San Joaquin County Including Stockton Metro forecast zone and San Joaquin County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Thornton?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 23 miles 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 Thornton	View
KDAX Sacramento, CA	23 mi northwest	1,300 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KMUX San Francisco, CA	79 mi south-southwest	6,700 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KBBX Beale AFB, CA	88 mi north	8,000 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 Thornton

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 23 tornadoes within 25 miles of Thornton. Most came in April and February. The strongest was an EF1 on October 22, 2012, which touched down about 12 miles north-northeast of town. The most recent was an EF0 on January 14, 2023, which touched down about 17 miles east-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 March 11, 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 Thornton'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.

Thornton radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Thornton, CA?

KDAX (Sacramento, CA), about 23 miles northwest. KMUX (San Francisco, CA) is 79 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Thornton flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 31 days in the Central San Joaquin County Including Stockton Metro forecast zone and San Joaquin 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 Thornton 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 Thornton, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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