Arcadia, FL Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Arcadia What TALON shows

What weather hits Arcadia?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 26 days in the DeSoto forecast zone and DeSoto County — the most common reported hazard around Arcadia, mostly in March and December. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (23 days) and hurricanes & tropical storms (21 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	26	Sep 2017	Mar 20, 1998 · $3.8 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	23	Jan 2016	Jan 3, 1999 · $150,000 damage
Hurricanes & tropical storms	21	Oct 2024	Aug 13, 2004 · 1 death · $507 million damage
Flash flooding	6	Jun 2003	Sep 27, 1997 · 1 death · $100,000 damage
Extreme cold & wind chill	5	Oct 2008	—
Lightning casualties & damage	3	Jun 2008	Jun 23, 2008 · 1 death
High winds	1	Mar 2002	—
Wildfires	1	May 2000	—

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 DeSoto forecast zone and DeSoto County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover Arcadia?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KTBW (Tampa, FL), about 47 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 Arcadia	View
KTBW Tampa, FL	47 mi northwest	3,300 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KMLB Melbourne, FL	96 mi northeast	9,000 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KAMX Miami, FL	143 mi southeast	16,800 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 Arcadia

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 114 tornadoes within 25 miles of Arcadia, 9 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in June and July. The strongest was an F2 on July 30, 1968, which touched down about 23 miles southwest of town and caused 2 deaths. The most recent was an EF0 on July 21, 2025, which touched down about 6 miles south-southwest of town.

Hail: 42 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955, 3 of them 2 inches or more; the largest was 2.75-inch hail on May 3, 2005.

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 Arcadia'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.

Arcadia radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Arcadia, FL?

KTBW (Tampa, FL), about 47 miles northwest. KMLB (Melbourne, FL) is 96 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Arcadia flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 26 days in the DeSoto forecast zone and DeSoto 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 Arcadia 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 Arcadia, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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