St. Louis, MO Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over St. Louis in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for St. Louis What TALON shows

Which radars cover St. Louis?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to St. Louis, MO is KLSX (St. Louis), about 27 miles to the west. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over St. Louis	View of low-level rotation
KLSX St. Louis, MO	27 mi west	1,600 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KILX Lincoln, IL	115 mi north-northeast	11,900 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KPAH Paducah, KY	133 mi southeast	15,000 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get St. Louis's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near St. Louis

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 185 tornadoes within 25 miles of St. Louis, 51 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in April and May. The strongest was an F4 on February 10, 1959, which crossed near the city center and caused 21 deaths. The most recent was an EF1 on June 4, 2025, which passed about 20 miles west of the city.

Hail: 1,026 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of St. Louis since 1955, 112 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on May 25, 2011.

Tornadoes since 1950	185
EF2/F2 or stronger	51
Strongest tornado	F4 · Feb 1959
Busiest tornado month	April
Largest hail	4.50 in · May 2011

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

St. Louis radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to St. Louis?

KLSX near St. Louis, MO, about 27 miles away. A second radar, KILX (Lincoln), is 115 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over St. Louis?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over St. Louis the lowest scan from KLSX is roughly 1,600 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit St. Louis?

NOAA records show 185 tornadoes within 25 miles of St. Louis since 1950 — about 2.4 a year on average, most often in April and May. Most were weak, but 51 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for St. Louis, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.